I, Robot
As the title would indicate, a robot is no longer just a machine when it says, "I." This "what makes life" theme, a murder mystery, and a robot revolution are the three basic plots explored in director Alex Proyas' (1998's Dark City, 1994's The Crow) rendering of the Asimov classic. It's the year 2035 and robots are as common as toasters in the home. They have taken over all the menial duties in life from collecting trash to walking dogs. Now, U.S. Robotics promises a robot in every home with the unveiling of their newest model, the NS5. Meanwhile, Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith), who distrusts robots after a life-death robot experience, finds plenty of questions when the only suspect in the murder of a robotics scientist (James Cromwell) is one of these new model NS5 robots, called Sonny (Alan Tudyk). If one robot can kill, then what about thousands? This question, and clues left by the dead scientist, lead Detective Spooner to U.S. Robots' dubious CEO, Lawrence Robertson (Bruce Greenwood), and a robot psychiatrist, Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) who claims robots are not capable of individual thought. As you've seen in the trailers, things go terribly wrong by the last 40 minutes of the film and the man vs. robots battle begins. This was a mixed bag for me. I was not satisfied with the actors (including Will Smith) who seemed to coast through their parts without fervor. But I was willing to overlook that when the murder mystery unfolds and the robot is the only suspect. The interrogation scenes with Robot Sunny were riveting. The CGI expressions and emotions rivaled the work done with Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. But unfortunately this was only one of the plots. It should have been the only plot. The robot revolution plot soon takes over (complete with the computer brain run amok cliché and a robot messiah) along with some strained attempts at laughs (which seemed to please the audience anyway). While the special effects were wonderful, the revolution plot lacked the depth and theme of the murder mystery. I, Robot would have been better served had it been more like 1982's Blade Runner or 1988's Alien Nation where the human has to deal with his prejudice toward his non-human counterpart while solving a murder mystery. Trying to go from murder mystery to comedy to action/adventure was too much of a strain that ended up with nothing of substance except a Sci-Fi, comedy, action-adventure, murder mystery that will do just fine with the summer popcorn crowd.

Identity
A storm strands ten strangers in a no-star rode-side motel and before long, someone is knocking them off one at a time. I was hesitant to see this one. I figured with names like John Cusack as Ed, the chauffer; Ray Liotta, as Rhodes, the cop; and Rebecca De Mornay, as Caroline, the actress, this one would emphasize drama over thriller, but I was wrong-dead wrong. Even the other seven characters are superb, drawing me into their horror and confusion. This one even has some jump out of your seat killings, as well as some creative uses for a clothes dryer and a baseball bat. I was hooked for most of this "who's doing it?" thriller, right up to the "twist" that's supposed to blow your mind (which it does). But after the truth about the killings is revealed, the story continues and here's where I went along grudgingly. For me, the film had already ended. Fortunately, the rest went quickly, but I just couldn't get that "anti-climax" taste from my mouth. Do I recommend this, yes. You'll just have to decide for yourself if the last 30 minutes should have been cut and whether the ending was too cliché.

Imprint (2005)
In what some call a disturbing shocker, Takashi Miiki’s Imprint follows the journey of an American, Christopher (Billy Drago) searching for the prostitute Komomo (Michie) in 19th-century Japan whom he had previously met and promised to take to America. But what he finds instead is a deformed courtesan (Youki Kudoh) with a tale of unspeakable cruelty. According to creator Mick Garris (Masters of Horror, Fear Itself), the directors involved in the Masters of Horror Collection were given free reign as to what stories they told, however they wanted to tell them. Still, when Showtime came on board, they laid out a handful of rules and as a result, Takashi Miiki’s Imprint never aired because of its scenes of torture, cruelty toward children and brutality toward women. While I obviously cannot condone such things, Takashi Miiki weaves enough drama with scares and shock to make this a must find and watch. Especially disturbing is the plot line about (what might have been—still not sure) an absorbed twin that manifests itself by sticking its hand out through the head of its host. Then, adding black comedy to the horrific, it turns out that the hand has a face with a talking mouth on its palm. I laughed, and then cringed, while all the time entertained, amused, and riveted. You can find Imprint on DVD as part of the Masters of Horror Collection: Season 1, Episode 13. Imprint was based on the novel Bokke, kyote, by Shimako Iwai.

The Incredible Hulk
Most of you know the story of scientist, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), who due to an experiment gone wrong, is given a deadly dose of gamma radiation, which transforms him into The Hulk whenever he gets angry. Of course, as is usual in comic book scripts, the military wants to know how The Hulk ticks so it can use the secrets to create a super soldier. Add to this version the character Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth)—a mercenary—who offers to track down Banner and later volunteers to undergo the same experiments that created The Hulk. The film gets a running start bringing us up to date on how and why Banner became the Hulk during the opening credits. Once the film starts, it is action oriented throughout with the Hulk battling military forces, smashing tanks and gun ships. What does raise this film above other comic book to screen endeavors is Edward Norton, who makes Banner a sympathetic character. His scenes do not slow down the film, but actually add some needed depth. I’ve always liked Norton as an actor and he does not let me down here. However, the real scene-stealer is Tim Roth as Blonsky. Roth is short in stature, but stands up to The Hulk with lines like “Is that all you got?” The climax involves The Hulk facing off with an adversary in the same vain as Iron Man, and it’s a no holds barred slugfest. 2008’s The Incredible Hulk redeems the franchise after the disastrous 2003 The Hulk, and is good enough to fit well into the 2008 summer blockbuster lineup. Liv Tyler plays Banners girlfriend and William Hurt plays General Ross. Look for cameos by Stan Lee, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and Lou Ferrigno (the voice of this film’s Hulk) as a security guard.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Veteran director Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade) directs the latest installment in the Indy series, joined by writers George Lucas and David Keopp (Spider-Man). The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes us to the 1950’s McCarthy-era United States where the Commies are searching for the legendary crystal skull, said to bestow special powers on whomever possesses it. The search takes Indy and company from New Mexico’s Area 51 to Peru’s ancient pyramids where they face some known and out of this world danger. The Crystal Skull returns to the Raiders formula with plenty of car chases, fights, and whips snapping; and don’t forget Indy’s signature hat. Expect to see some familiar faces (Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood) and new characters (Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko, Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams, and John Hurt as Professor Oxley.) I must admit that I grinned when I first heard the Indy theme song and did enjoy the scenes in the Area 51 warehouse, especially when some crates came crashing down and one contained the Ark from Raiders, but that’s just the beginning. The car chases (and sometimes motorcycles) go on and on and on. I started feeling they were looking to stretch things out without delving into plot development, which is definitely lacking, but hey, this is “Indy” not Shakespeare. Lucas and Keopp also didn’t try to hide Indy’s (Harrison Ford’s) age, but rather made jokes about it by having another character ask if he was “eighty” and making it harder for Indy to pull off some of his signature heroics. Harrison Ford is actually 65. Indy himself doesn’t hide the fact that he’s back, especially when he mutters “same old, same old” when confronted with the Commies rather than Nazis. In addition, this entry in the series had much more comedy then I remember in the other films. Sometimes the sight gags border on slapstick and again, some drag on much too long. One scene that I thought went on too long involved a sword fight between two characters in cars running side by side, but the 10 year-old with me found that to be one of his favorite scenes. I think that’s what it gets down to; if you are part of an audience that never had the experience of seeing any of the original films in a theater, you will enjoy this film. Therefore, pack up the family (or the young at heart) for a fun filled, action-adventure, even if it is a bit over the top. Munch your popcorn, sip your sodas, sit back and enjoy.

Inkheart
Ian Softley (2005’s The Skeleton Key) directs this Brendan Fraser fantasy/adventure about a man, Mo ‘Silvertongue’ Folchart (Fraser), who has the power to give life to the characters in books simply by reading about them—thus, the Silvertongue power. Unfortunately, the evil characters he’s unknowingly brought into our world, like it here. One in particular, the evil Capricorn (Andy Serkis), has established a little kingdom and wants Folchart to read from the book, Inkheart to bring The Shadow, an evil force, into our world so Capricorn can control it and expand his evil kingdom. However, Folchart wants to read from the book to rescue his wife who was accidentally sent into the book’s world during a previous reading. Inkheart is whimsical and fun, with beautiful scenery and locations (fabricated and real.) It was especially fun to see creatures from other stories like the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz, the Minotaur, and unicorns, to name a few. Unfortunately, most of the time we view these creatures from behind bars, in a darkened dungeon. The story dragged for much of the 100 minutes, apparently saving everything for the last 20 minutes or so. Still, the finale was rousing and fun. You’ll have to decide if the wait was too long.

Insomnia
Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a top cop from Los Angeles sent to Alaska to investigate the beating death of a seventeen year-old girl. Is there a serial killer on the loose? I'm afraid not. Pacino's character brings career problems to Alaska that cause him to have trouble sleeping in the twenty-four hour Alaskan daylight. Dormer's problems are complicated when he accidentally shoots and kills his partner while hunting the killer. But is it an accident or murder? (His partner was the only one who new Dormer's secret past and could end his career.) Another reason for the insomnia. Enter Robin Williams as the teen's murderer (it's not a secret), witnessing Pacino's (Dormer's) "accident" and blackmailing the cop to help him evade capture. I won't get into the twists and turns, the director's playing with light, or the Alaskan scenery, but this was not what I expected. I ended up staying to watch Pacino (he is one of the greats after all), but found myself disappointed with this thriller turned drama. I wanted to go looking for a serial killer. The one thing I did notice was Robin Williams makes a great nut. He looks so innocent and timid, so harmless, a perfect serial killer. I hope we see more of him as the bad guy in the future. I just wanted more of that.

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
Uwe Boll ('05’s BloodRayne, Alone in the Dark, '03’s House of the Dead) continues to churn out trash with his latest endeavor, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. When “Farmer” (Jason Statham) loses his family in an attack by Orcs (who look like their wearing a one-size-fits-all Halloween costume), lead by the evil sorcerer, Gallian (Ray Liotta,) he reluctantly joins forces with King Konreid (Burt Reynolds) to exact his revenge. In the Name of the King put simply, is a mess. The role of Gallian is not played directly by Ray Liotta but rather by Ray Liotta playing Henry Hill (Goodfellas) playing Gallian. He screeches his lines like Hill on speed sounding so out of place it was a mystery as to why he got this part. Moreover, if that wasn’t enough, in strolls Burt Reynolds as King Konreid. Unfortunately, for such an icon as Burt Reynolds, playing anyone but himself can only end in laughter. The entire audience giggled at his every word. Add a group of forest creatures led by Elora (Kristanna Loken) who swing down from the trees on vines like extras from a Cirque du Soleil act, with vines that actually moved horizontally across the forest as if on tracks. Throw in Matthew Lillard as the evil Duke Fallow with his over the top melodramatics, Leelee Soieski as a sorceress in training, Muriella, John Rhys-Davies as the magician, Merick, and Ron Perlman as Norick, some of the worse editing, and you have the makings of one of the worst movies I’ve seen in years. Okay, maybe the scenery, with the help of some CGI was nice, but the 10-year-old with me kept asking me during the movie, “How much longer before it ends?” “Soon,” I hoped, “Soon.”

Iron Man
Director Jon Favreau (2005’s Zathura: A Space Adventure, 2003’s Elf and various American television shows) brings the Marvel superhero to life with Robert Downy Jr. as Tony Stark, whom an Afghanistan terrorist leader (Faran Tahir) refers to as “America’s most famous mass murderer” because Stark Industries produces weapons for the U.S. military. However, on one of Stark’s visits to Afghanistan to make a presentation of his company’s latest weapon, Stark is captured by the terrorists, imprisoned in a cave, and ordered to reconstruct the missile system he had just sold to the American military. Within his cave, Stark secretly assembles scraps to construct a metal suit he will use to escape. And so Iron Man is born as Stark sees the evil of his ways as an arms manufacturer. Iron Man works on many levels. The story is more complex than the average comic book to screen formula with enough plot twists and turns to keep you interested and guessing as to what will happen next. The pacing also works, with humor and seriousness played against each other at just the right moments. Especially funny are the scenes where Downy perfects his Iron Man suit in his lavish home. Downy does an excellent job, appearing to take his role rather serious, yet having fun with it at the same time. At his side is Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow.) Her role certainly could have been overplayed, but Paltrow keeps it under control, reminding me of Alfred from the Batman series. She makes herself a definite addition to a well-rounded cast, which includes Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stone, a loyal Stark employee and Tony Stark’s most trusted advisor. Bridges also captures his scenes, especially with his shaved head and beard. And let’s not forget the action. Seeing Iron Man fly against two Air Force jets looks real, as do all of the special effects. I never thought about how they created the Iron Man suit on the screen, but easily accepted it as real and not a special effect. His battle scenes against the Afghanistan terrorists are both tense and humorous, as well as the scenes against a surprise foe (one of those plot twists I mentioned.) Iron Man is definitely in the summer blockbuster category and deserves it, so expect to have plenty of fun. I am sure most of you will leave the theater with a smile.

The Item
With the production qualities of a porno film, this looks like a film student project trying to be "so cool." But it only comes off as a disjointed hodge-podge of unrelated scenes, inane dialogue, drag queens, and a phallic looking "thing" in a box. In a box, is where this one should stay.