Dinner and a Movie

Postmortem Romance Is Cold in 'Warm Bodies'

The latest zombie movie out shows you that you don't have to have a pulse to fall in love.

Ready to see Warm Bodies? Then shamble over to Movies 278, 185 Metromont Road, Hiram. For more theater information and links to showtimes and pricing, click here or call 678-513-4400. Good girl meets ghoul in the latest romantic comedy called Warm Bodies. Nicholas Hoult plays a teenage zombie slacker who falls head over heels in love with Teresa Palmer, who is very much alive. Somehow the chemistry between the two works even though the flirting can be a bit awkward. You never really know what thoughts are lurking behind those blank stare, but enough about non-zombie supporting cast member John Malkovich. Warm Bodies is a fun little film that has successfully mashed up a romantic comedy, slapstick and cheese. The teenage and Twilight film …

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Dinner and a Movie

'The Impossible' Is Intensely Entertaining

In theaters this week, an impossible journey to the core of the human heart in the true life story of a family swept away in one of the worst natural disasters in our lifetime.

A family of five begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking for some fun in the sun. Soon their holiday turns into a nightmare as a giant tsunami rises up from the ocean and sweeps them away in The Impossible. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor head up this cast that tells the true story of one family's experience during the devastating 2004 tsunami that devoured Southeast Asia. The acting, though there is very little dialogue, is amazing and the special effects, especially in the first 45 minutes, are mind-boggling. Watts is being considered for an Oscar for her performance but the kids, in my opinion, steal every scene in which they appear. The film runs two hours, and it is a bit sappy at times, perhaps too sentimental. So the Flick-O-…

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'The Hobbit' Truly Is An Unexpected Journey

Hold onto your hats, kids; we're heading to Middle Earth again with Peter Jackson and company.

After years of waiting it's finally in theaters—Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Bilbo Baggins, a kicked-back, happy-go-lucky Hobbit, joins Gandolf the Grey and 13 dwarves on a dangerous quest to reclaim their homeland and their treasure from Smaug the dragon. The film is a staggering 160 minutes. But unlike any of the Lord of the Rings films, it takes about an hour for anything to really get going. Once it does, though, game on, with non-stop chase scenes and action sequences. On the journey they run into every kind of creature imaginable. The problem is, most of them are CGI creations. That was a big misstep, I think. In the "Lord of the Rings" films most of the monsters were just guys in makeup, and there was a sense …

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'Killing Them Softly' Borders on Overkill

Brad Pitt plays a hitman who is sentimental and deadly.

Brad Pitt is a hitman brought in to restore some much needed street credibility to a weak-looking mob syndicate in Killing Them Softly. Pitt prefers to kill victims “softly” from a distance rather than watching them get “touchy-feely” up close. While trying to fix things he works alongside local mob lawyer Richard Jenkins. James Gandolfini resurrects the spirit of Tony Soprano as a boozing, hooker-loving hit man who has lost his killer touch. Ray Liotta plays a poker manager wrongfully accused of ripping off the mob. They are a solid cast in a dark, artsy movie peppered with hard-to-watch violent scenes. Slow-motion bullets flying and brain matter splatters. They all try to convey the message that capitalism and organized crime are mirror …

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Dinner and a Movie

The Twilight Saga Ends with a Heartwarming Farewell

The most popular Dracula-Werewolf soap opera franchise in history comes to an end with a big thanks to all its fans.

The love triangle between Bella (Kristen Stewart), her husband Edward (Robert Pattinson), and Werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) comes to an exciting conclusion in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part Two. Bella finally gets what she wants. She's a vampire; she's married to a vampire; now she has a half-vampire, half-human kid. That the child is from a mixed marriage doesn't sit well with some of the vampires, causing a bit of a problem. Be ready for a few surprises as the final act of the movie kicks up the stakes with a few twists and turns where anything could happen. Fans of the series will enjoy the film for its romance, humor, and a sweet ending to a series they love so much. Non-fans? Well, there isn't much going on for you here. The …

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Dinner and a Movie

'Skyfall' Is Bond at His Best

He's got the tux, the cars, the gadgets, the girls…James Bond is back and better than ever!

Daniel Craig is back in his best Bond performance to date in Skyfall. On the 50th year of the franchise and the 23rd in the series, this is one of the best Bond films yet, and I have seen all of them. The opening chase scene may be the best ever, and it sets the tone for a really good spy thriller and pure Bond fantasy. Javier Bardem plays the villain in this one. He's creepy good as the bad guy, making this movie that much better. We learn more about Bond in this film than any of the others as he tries to come to grips with his mortality and the fact that his type of spying has become obsolete due to technology. But, as you might have guessed, when it's time to kick some butt…who you gonna call? A great supporting cast including Judi …

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'Wreck-It Ralph' Is Retro-Pop Family Fun

The bad guy in an old video game is about to become the good guy in a new movie. It's a wreck the whole family should enjoy.

The bad guy in a low-resolution '80s video game is a reluctant villain who tears down buildings with his sledgehammer fists. He's ready for a change in today's high-resolution world in Wreck-It Ralph, in 3D. In order to break out of his bad-guy image, Ralph travels to grand game central, where there is access to every video game in the world. If he can win a few levels, who knows, he may become that good guy he has always wanted to be. The clever writing and character development is met with a solid voice-over cast which includes John C. Reilly as Ralph, Sarah Silverman as the voice of Vanellope and Jane Lynch as Sgt. Calhoun. There are dozens of retro games for the grown-ups and a solid storyline for the kids. As in the tradition of Toy …

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Dinner and a Movie

Review: 'Cloud Atlas' Leaves You in a Fog

This week's review is like getting six movies for the price of one. It's nearly a three-hour mind-bender they may just leave you scratching your head.

Six major plot lines taking place over 500 years—featuring the same actors playing multiple roles—is what you get with Cloud Atlas. All of the stories are crosscut together, jumping back and forth from one another across different time periods ranging from a 19th century South Pacific sea voyage to the distant post-apocalyptic future where humanity lives on the very brink of extinction. The cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving and Hugh Grant. They do their best to tell the secrets of the universe and the human heart while leaving you, well, confused. Cloud Atlas is simply too long and too scatterbrained. The central message is that we are all connected from womb to tomb and our lives are not our …

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Dinner and a Movie

'Paranormal Activity 4' More Trick Than Treat

If you enjoy watching characters sleep while their furniture moves around them, I have just the movie.

A Nevada family plays host to a very odd 6-year-old neighbor boy whose unseen mother has suddenly been hospitalized in Paranormal Activity 4. A group of young unknown actors jump into the Paranormal Activity formula without a hitch. The long stretches of green night-cam footage manage to creep you out as you try to figure out if you just saw movement in the corner. And when something eventually flies across the screen, no matter how much you try to anticipate it, you jump.  A neighborhood witches' coven plays into the proceedings, adding to the drama. In the end, as expected, all you really get is a whole bunch of jolts and scares. If you have seen any of the previous films, it's more of the same. This time around I was more tricked than …

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Dinner and a Movie

Frankenweenie Is Frighteningly Good

It's funny, adventurous, creepy, and even sentimental and with it being in black and white AND 3D, I think it's going to be a hit.

It's part Frankenstein, part Lassie, but somehow director Tim Burton makes it work in this stop-motion animation simply called Frankenweenie. It's the story of a young boy (Frankenstein) who uses all of his talents to bring back his beloved dead dog. There are a lot of references to old horror movies all wrapped up in a heartwarming boy-and-his-dog film the whole family should enjoy. Several celebrities lend their voices to this film that should appeal most to mom and dad. Fans of Boris Karloff will also enjoy this. It's strange in a Tim Burton kind of way but, in my opinion, some of his best work in a long, long time. The characters are all pretty amusing and Victor Frankenstein is a suitable hero for this family-friendly horror film with…

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