The performances here are “clean” in one sense—but are still peppered with racial and cultural stereotypes, at times mocking with arrogant posturing. I guess it’s supposed to be okay for “Christian comedy,” though, as long we’re making fun of the secular world or someone else’s denomination. I’m sure that Apostles of Comedy will find its audience, but it’s a little too much “preaching to the choir” for my taste. The individual comedians are talented and funny in their own right and their background stories add a layer of human interest. Unfortunately, I don’t think the humor here is going to challenge a Christian audience to re-evaluate their stereotypes or behaviors, and probably isn’t going to attract much of a non-Christian audience because of the way the DVD is being marketed.

Welcome to Bogota, New Jersey, circa 2003. As the weather begins to turn crisp, it’s time for citizens to decide who they’re going to vote for in the race for Mayor. Anytown, USA covers the entire campaign, from the early planning all the way to election night—advertising, lining up volunteers, getting out to meet voters, and more. It doesn’t necessarily sound all that exciting, but good filmmaking and surprisingly forthcoming commentary from the candidates keep things interesting. You’ll also find a fair amount of dry humor on tap here. I’m sure the film won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you list politics among your interests you really should track this one down. It proves to be entertaining, humorous, and educational at the same time. Not a bad combination in a film that provides an up-close look at local politics.

I enjoyed the first two thirds of this movie; and if the production team could have brought it home with a fitting final act, I think this would have been halfway decent film. Given how things went in the early going I’m a little puzzled why that didn’t happen. I can only chalk it up to a misplaced philosophy intended to leave the audience feeling positive and upbeat the end of the experience. As a result, instead of a powerful message about belief and sacrifice we get a climactic moment that left the audience I watched with literally laughing out loud. In another movie, that might have been appropriate—but it was completely out of place here. Disappointing, to say the least. In the end, Traitor winds up being a fairly thoughtful look at some of the issues and causes of terrorism backed up by a strong cast. Unfortunately, a lack of thrills and a weak resolution fail to deliver the goods.

To me, Death Race is a sure bet. It’s hard to imagine anyone watching the trailer and being confused about what they’re going to see when the lights go down and the movie starts. Either you like this kind of action movie and you plan to see it or you don’t. Still—like the story—you don’t watch Death Race for the acting. You might have picked up on this already, but the film is mostly about cars. And guns. And lots of explosions. Say what you will about the rest of the movie, but director Paul W. S. Anderson gets this part right. The action sequences come at you like a runaway freight train. It’s all the sweeter because most of what you see on the screen was filmed the old-fashioned way: using cameras, skilled stunt performers, and actual vehicles.

With an interesting and quirky story and a top notch cast, does Henry Poole Is Here manage to deliver the goods? The answer I think is decidedly maybe… depending on the individual moviegoer. Issues of religion and faith can be polarizing. Some folks will likely think this film is too religious while others will dislike it because it’s not religious enough. I can’t tell you which end of the spectrum you might fall on. What I can tell you is that this is a film that doesn’t try to preach to you, or at you. It doesn’t try to sell you a particular set of beliefs or tell you what you should or shouldn’t feel. It uses religious themes as a springboard to go deeper and take look at the relationships between people. In the end, it seems to ask the question “Does it matter if it’s really a miracle as long as lives experience positive change?” And to its credit, the film leaves the answer up to you. I liked it; you might like it, too.

Not even name-brand voice actors in the form of Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry, Kelly Ripa and others can ride to the aid of this film. You know you’re not leveraging the talent when the audience has to wait for the credits to see who was who. The digital models here seem to have no relationship to the actors behind the scenes. None of the performances show through, it’s just pure voiceover. Honestly, it begs the question, “Why bother hiring recognizable actors?” The lackluster result is a shame, because I do believe that 3D technology has achieved a level where we can begin to expect really good things from it. But it’s no substitute for a good story that is well told. And that is the one thing missing-in-action from Fly Me To The Moon. Young children may find some entertainment value from this film, but anyone into their tween years or beyond is probably going to find most of the film a tough slog.

This is a musical that happened to be filmed on location. The actors do have to act also, but its remarkable how well the Abba songs fit in and contribute to the narrative. The biggest struggle I had with the film in general was the fact I wasn’t familiar with the stage musical that came before it. I don’t mean to suggest that you need to know the material to enjoy it, but it did leave me floundering at first because I wasn’t sure how serious I was supposed to take things. The answer I think proves to be: not very serious at all. Mamma Mia! is fun, light-hearted fare that is most often delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. Once I figured that out I was able to settle in and enjoy the experience along with the very enthusiastic and vocal screening audience.

As Lachrimarum and art-restoration student Sarah Mandy slowly move toward the climactic confrontation, the stage is set for the conclusion of the third installment in the “Three Mothers” trilogy from famed Italian horror director Dario Argento. But there is very little tension here, or anything remotely scary. The only gasping I would expect to hear from the audience is in response to how bad Mother of Tears truly is. Most of the “horror” comes in the form of shocking and violent acts, with frequent gratuitous nudity (and lesbianism) thrown in for good measure. If that kind of gore works for you, I suppose you could find something to like about this film; but I think most horror fans expect something better in this day and age.

A more experienced director might have been able to rein in the out-of-control humor, but Marco Schnabel isn’t up to the task at this point in his career. Hard to blame him, really; trying to control a manic Mike Myers has to be a daunting task on your debut as a feature film director. On the up side, I can say I didn’t find The Love Guru painful to watch. I found enough laughs to feel entertained by the time the closing credits rolled. It was all the wincing at low-brow jokes in between that took the shine off the experience. This could have been a much better film than the one I watched.

Let me be clear: I loved War, Inc., and can’t wait to see it again. Politics and humor tend to be starkly polarizing, however, and I imagine such polemics will make it difficult to appeal to a general audience. Furthermore, the war theme may still be too raw for movie-goers to be able to navigate through the political pie crust and sink their teeth into the delicious satire underneath. And that’s too bad, because this really is one of the best examples of the genre I’ve seen in some time. The onscreen chemistry between Cusack and Tomei is wonderful; both turn in fantastic performances. They’re also joined by Hilary Duff, surprisingly strong as she lampoons her real-life pop-star status in her role as pop-star Yonica Babyyeah.