Follow James St. James into the world of the club kids and see how far the rabbit hole goes. It is the the true story of how Michael Alig killed his drug dealer/roommate and almost got away with it.

Seth Green proves himself as an actor by playing James St. James. It is hard to believe the creator of Robot Chicken could pull it off, but Green has been in the game since he was ten years old.

Macaulay Culkin does a good job with the role of Michael Alig. He is working hard to shake the stigma of his childhood fame in Home Alone.

Party Monster was adopted from the book Disco Bloodbath. St. James serves a well written story of Alig’s rise as king of the club kids during the late 80s and early 90s in New York. While St. Jame’s love/hate relationship with Alig does not provide a non-bias opinion of actual events, it is an interesting version of Angle’s death and dismemberment.

There are few things on the shelf as good as Party Monster. The soundtrack is like no other. And you have to love a movie that has Marilyn Manson in drag.

When Kim takes a break from rehab for her sister’s wedding, she tries to shed her title as the family’s black sheep. Can she make it through a weekend of Narcotics Anonymous meetings and bad memories?

Rachael Getting Married debuts writer Jenny Lumet, who delivers a well written story. The movie boasts director Jonathan Demme who also gave us The Manchurian Candidate, Philadelphia, and The Silence of the Lambs.

Anne Hathaway does a good job with the lead role. Kim is a woman battling addiction, rejection, and family. This role is a serious departure from her other work in kid-friendly movies like The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, and Hoodwinked.

Rachael Getting Married uses some interesting techniques to set it apart from major blockbusters. The movie is shot in a documentary-type style. The camera work is unlike Demme’s other films. The movie uses a musician jamming in the background to set the tone rather than playing a pre-recorded music track.

The movie wears a little thin toward the end, but still mildly entertaining. It will fill your drama quotient for a week, or month depending on your lifestyle. Rachael Getting Married is not a movie to kick up your heels and relax with. But it is a good pick if you are in the mood for a moody drama.

An alien comes to Earth with his robot bodyguard to evaluate the planets inhabitants. What will his evaluation lead to when he encounters a hostile military and environmental concerns?

The Day the Earth Stood Still is the 2008 remake of the 1951 science fiction original. While the message has been altered, the rest of the movie remains pretty much the same.

The original reflected the tensions of the time the movie was created such as the start of the Cold War and the Korean War. The message the alien gave to the world was it is not our concern what you do with your planet, but war is not the answer to your problems.

Remake also reflects the current environmental concerns facing our planet. The message has changed to Earth it is not your planet and humans must be removed to preserve it.

Klaatu, an emotionless alien sent to observe life on Earth, is the role Keanu Reeves was born to play. Jennifer Connelly does not do much better by churning out the same performance we have seen over and over.

The Day…has fairly good action sequences . It has a fresh perspective while it stays true to the original. It has runtime close to two hours that feels like three. The Day…is an interesting idea but may not be the best movie on the shelf.

The survivors of the Third Wold War, decide emotions must be eliminated to secure a peaceful future. What price would you pay for a life without war? Would you be willing to remove the element that makes you most human?

Equilibrium follows one of the fundamental rules of a good screenplay. The movie grabs your attention and pulls you in during the first scene. While the action is over-the-top in it’s comic book approach, the plot is strong enough to keep the audience interested.

The movie sports a well-rounded cast with Christian Bale, Sean Bean, William Fichtner, Angus Macfadyen, Taye Diggs, and Emily Watson. The use of color is clever in Equilibrium. The movie uses the contrast between rich colors and dull hues to highlight the difference between emotionless civilians and passionate rebels.

This movie asks a good question: Is life worth living if you are a little dead inside? This theme is not unlike Lois Lowry’s The Giver or something Philip K. Dick could create. Equilibrium is a solid movie with a good plot. You will not regret sitting down and pushing ‘play’.

How does a man with a streak of bad luck make a living in Las Vegas? He works in a casino as a freelance adviser to bring his bad luck to gamblers on a roll.

William H. Macy plays Bernie Lootz who is unlucky in life and love. He is the poor sap we love to pity. Alec Baldwin plays the underhanded boss who can show is loving or cruel side at the flip of a switch. Maria Bello plays Natalie who could change Bernie’s luck.

The Cooler is a great story. Macy, Baldwin, and Bello give a wonderful performance. The Cooler walked away with a MPAA rating R rather than NC-17 over a little bit hair. As long as you do not mind a couple seconds of a naked Macy, The Cooler is a good flick.

What is the one thing that can divide two best friends? Sharing their wedding day. Blue hair, an orange tan, and a striptease showdown at the bachelorette party are the only highlights in this movie.

Kate Hudson has gained a lot of popularity since her role in Almost Famous. Most of her previous work does not show too much variety. However Hudson does a little better in Bridal Wars as a cold-hearted tyrant.

Anne Hathaway plays it a little tame in Bridal Wars. Hathaway worked hard to break out of the Disney mold after The Princess Diaries with Havoc and Rachel Getting Married. Unfortunately there is nothing to write home about with her work in Bridal Wars.

The antics are over the top and the story is insulting. Anyone walking into the theater expecting a good chick flick will walk out disappointed.

Walt Kowalski buries his wife and tries to keep to himself. But when Kowalski’s neighbor tries to steal his car, he gets wrapped up in a fight against the neighborhood gang.

Clint Eastwood jumps back into the game of acting and directing with Gran Torino. While Eastwood’s resume is long, it does not vary too much. Although it is comforting to know he will play a hard-nosed character just about better than anyone.

Ahney Her does a pretty good job in her debut in Gran Torino. Her character is not fazed by Kowalski’s racial slurs and is even patient to educate the Korean War vet of her Hmong culture.

Gran Torino runs about two hours. Near the end, some of the bad acting starts to wear thin. But the plot is sound and the ending is pretty good. Gran Torino is a decent pick for the evening if you do not mind Clint Eastwood singing at the ending credits.

Tom Hanks is a congressman prompted by Julia Roberts to help Afghanistan forces fight Russia with the help of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Based on a true story, Americans get a little education and back story on current foreign affairs.

From director Mike Nichols who brought us The Birdcage, Regarding Henry, Working Girls, The Graduate, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Charlie Wilson’s War is a great story sprinkled with the dry humor we have grown to love from Nichols.

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives us a great performance and is magic on screen. He shows us once again he is a chameleon; the definition of a good actor. Tom Hanks gives us a character we love to hate. Julia Roberts makes us believe beauty queens can be devious political motivators.

Charlie Wilson’s War will not disappoint. It has drama, political intrigue, and enough dry humor to keep you entertained. Happy watching.

What do you do when your girlfriend cancels on your vacation plans? Have a party and see if you can take flight with a lawn chair and some helium balloons. But when the flying deckchair takes off without a way to pop the balloons, Danny’s in for a ride he did not plan.

Jeff Balsmeyer graduated from storyboard work on such films as Quiz Show, In the Army Now, Scent of a Woman, Malcolm X, and The Last of the Mohicans to write and direct Danny Deckchair.

Rhys Ifans plays the lead role, Danny. You may recognize Ifans from Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The 51st State (aka Formula 51), Little Nicky, The Replacements, or Notting Hill. Ifans’ take on the character is fun.

Miranda Otto plays Danny’s love interest. Otto’s body of work includes War of the Worlds, The Lord of the Rings, and What Lies Beneath as well as some small screen work.

This slow-moving flick takes a little getting used to. Do not expect a flashy Hollywood movie light on substance, but rather an Australian movie heavy on plot. Danny Deckchair is a nice break from monotonous blockbusters and offers some quiet humor as well.

When two hospital patients are diagnosed with a terminal illness, they decide to strike off together and finish everything they ever wanted to do before they die.

Watching Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman cross items off their to-do list for an hour and a half is not my idea of fun. It is painful to see these two actors squander their talent on a hokey movie. I would rather watch either The Shining or The Shawshank Redemption again than sit through The Bucket List.

This move does have a half way decent story. Both Nicholson and Freeman play their parts well. If Wild Hogs appeals to you, then you will enjoy The Bucket List. Otherwise, keep walking down the aisle and pick another movie to watch.