As Halloween approaches, we take a look at the month's movies to
see if they're tricks or treats. And yes, we know most of them have
nothing to do with ghouls and goblins. Don't blow our premise.
Packaging these previews is tough enough.
By Zac Crain
The Grudge 2
The Stars: Amber Tamblyn, Jennifer Beals
The Skinny: Tamblyn proves that being sisters with Sarah
Michelle Gellar (on film, at least) is no picnic, as the curse that
troubled Gellar's Karen Davis in the first installment has now
attached itself to her sister Aubrey (Tamblyn). Which obviously
means the creepy white wraith with the huge eyes is back too.
Unfortunate.
The Verdict: Trick
Man of the Year
The Stars: Robin Williams, Lewis Black
The Skinny: I'd imagine this movie was sold by the following
sentence: "
The Daily Show's Jon Stewart runs for president."
(And, as the trailer lets slip, he actually wins.) Too bad Williams
is nothing like Stewart. He's about as subtle as a 10-pound sledge
being swung around a room full of Baccarat crystal.
The Verdict: Trick
Infamous
The Stars: Toby Jones,
Sandra Bullock, Daniel Craig
The Skinny: Truman Capote travels to
Kansas to research his
book
In Cold Blood and cozies up to two convicted killers.
What? No, it's nothing like
Capote; why do you ask? Okay,
fine, it covers pretty much the exact ground as the movie Philip
Seymour Hoffman earned an Oscar for does. But here's the thing:
Jones is supposedly Hoffman's equal as Capote. Hey, I'm just the
messenger.
The Verdict: Treat
The Marine
The Stars: John Cena, Kelly Carlson
The Skinny: A marine (WWE star Cena) comes back from the
battlefield to find his lady mixed up in some sort of kidnapping
business. I actually thought this costarred
Kelly Clarkson for a
second. Not sure if that would make it better. Given her track
record (
From Justin to Kelly), probably not.
The Verdict: Trick
Fast Food Nation
The Stars: Greg Kinnear, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ethan
Hawke
The Skinny: Director
Richard Linklater and writer Eric
Schlosser fictionalize Schlosser's gripping look at the fast-food
industry, which is the modern equivalent of Upton Sinclair's
The
Jungle. The film version looks like it could be
Traffic
with Big Macs. Possible red flag: Wilmer Valderrama is
conspicuously involved. Still …
The Verdict: Treat
Saw III
The Stars: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith
The Skinny: The Jigsaw Killer (Bell) continues on his
mission to teach his victims the true value of life. So, basically,
it's like
It's a Wonderful Life. This is exactly what you
need around Halloween. No, I'm not being sarcastic.
The Verdict: Treat
The Prestige
The Stars: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine,
Scarlett Johansson
The Skinny: The powerhouse duo behind
Batman Begins
(Bale and director Christopher Nolan) reteam for this period yarn
about rival magicians. The good news is these two illusionists
aren't exactly Doug Henning and Lance Burton. I can't picture
Henning driven mad in a desperate quest to learn the secrets behind
Burton's tricks. The trailer I saw made me so fired up, I almost
started clapping. Okay, I might have clapped once or twice. I do
that sometimes.
The Verdict: Treat
Lucky You
The Stars: Eric Bana,
Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall
The Skinny: Curtis Hanson directed
L.A. Confidential and
Wonder Boys, two of my favorites.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and
8 Mile were even good for what they were. I doubt this tale of a poker player trying to win a tournament while battling personal problems — more or less the same plot as
Rounders, Stuey, California Split, two failed TV series (
Lucky and
Tilt), and most every other project involving poker — will be remembered alongside those films.
The Verdict: Trick