shuttle Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Doubt
Philip Seymour Hoffman is thrilling to watch as a priest accused of abuse by god-like nun Meryl Streep. Streep's highly-studied Bronx accent cracks me up, but this is a crackerjack stage play by John Patrick Shanley that he adopted for the screen and directed. Viola Davis makes a deep impression, and Amy Adams is a cute nun. Buy it.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon | Read Jeffrey M. Anderson's review.

The Tale of Despereaux
Quoting myself: "A slapdash character study of two rodents ... a gentle and nurturing children's story, imparting lessons without being too condescending to its audience." This could become a family perennial. With the voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Watson. Buy it.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon | Read my review.

The Day the Earth Stood Still
You've already seen the best bits in the trailer. Seriously. Even allowing for Keanu Reeves' intentionally blank slate and the prototypical "annoying kid," and crushing on Jennifer Connelly, this was a deadly bore that didn't come close to the far superior original. Skip it.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon | Read William Goss' review.

Yes Man
Jim Carrey stars in what our man Will Goss described as "a minor lark in the Canadian comedian's career ... familiar and funny in about equal measure." Still, Carrey familiarity + Zooey Deschanel makes me want to check it out. Rent it.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon | Read William Goss' review.

Bedtime Stories

Adam Sandler has always seemed child-like, but Jette Kernion said: "Watching Bedtime Stories is about as delightful as peeking into your Christmas stocking and finding it empty except for a few lint-covered peppermints." (Note: Released this past Sunday.) Skip it.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon | Read Jette Kernion's review.

The classically simple premise of Shuttle sounds like a horror movie, tapping into an uncommon fear you push back into the corner of your mind, marked "unlikely -- I hope." Best friends Mel (Peyton List) and Jules (Cameron Goodman) arrive at an airport late one rainy night, returning home from a trip to Mexico. Mel is feeling sick and unsteady on her feet, giving smooth-talking Seth (James Snyder) an opening to start flirting with the two young ladies, and forcing his traveling buddy Matt (Dave Power) to tag along.

The attractive foursome end up together on a shuttle mini-bus, along with a very nervous man in a business suit (Cullen Douglas). The driver (Tony Curran) takes an odd detour through a bad neighborhood; when questioned, he insists he knows where he's going. As the blocks of abandoned buildings roll by, the kids become agitated. The increasingly tense atmosphere on the shuttle is ratcheted up by a near-collision with a speeding car, and the driver's maneuvers to avoid a wreck result in a flat tire. Matt volunteers to help the driver change the tire, and that's when things really start going to hell for the shuttle's unlucky passengers.