“A Christmas Carol” (Adaptation/Fantasy: 1 hour, 36 minutes); Starring Voices: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, and Bob Hoskins; Director: Robert Zemeckis; Rated: PG (Scary sequences and images, brief mild language and violence)

Movie Review: The apex of a good film is the turn of events in which characters have an epiphany that changes their behavior or strengthens one’s resolve to continue a certain behavior. This conceptualization makes “A Christmas Carol” a watchable production with every adaptation of Dickens.

This outing, Dickens’ tale is computer animated with goofy funnyman Jim Carrey voicing Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean-spirited geezer whose journey of self-redemption is made ever-present by his encounter with the ghost of his former co-worker Bob Marley (Gary Oldman) and three Christmas spirits (Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come, which all are voiced by Carrey). Carrey, who can be overly goofy, is brilliant as the voice of several characters. He plays each voice with a unique dynamic disposition.

The story is still the same, but computer animation makes this an energetic visual treat, graphic eye candy worthy of praise. Technology may make this nice for visual acuity, but this version does not evoke the same emotional response as other adaptations of Dickens’ timeless tale.

Grade: B (Get into the Christmas spirit early!)

Note: Parents should evaluate this film first. Some scenes may be frightening for small children.

Crix Pix for previous versions of “A Christmas Carol” :

“Scrooge” (Director Brian Desmond Hurst, 1951) is good as an antique classic. Its antique look by today’s standards increases its setting’s appeal, especially if seen on black-and-white film.

“A Christmas Carol” (Director Clive Donner, 1984) stars George C. Scott, who makes a great Scrooge.

The 1971 Oscar-winning, animated short film entitled “A Christmas Carol,” directed by Richard Williams, is approximately 30 minutes, just the right length for families.

“A Christmas Carol” (Director David Hugh Jones, 1999) stars Patrick Stewart, who is just as dynamic on stage as Scrooge, too.



“The Men Who Stare at Goats” (Satiric Comedy: 1 hour, 34 minutes); Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Stephen Lang; Director: Grant Heslov; Rated: R (Violence, nudity and profanity)

Movie Review: A 2004 nonfiction book by London-based journalist Jon Ronson (played by McGregor) is the basis for this loose adaptation about men, who with an intense stare, can kill goats. Supposedly, these men have extraordinary mental abilities. They are called Jedi, originally recruited by the military during the Reagan Administration to combat Russian telekinetic agents. These men become part of an elite group called the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion.

This satirical film takes a very unbelievable look at the supernatural world. While this story had been around for some time now, long before Ronson’s book or the Reagan Administration, one can assume there is a little truth to it. Why not, a little truth exists in even the most unbelievable events and stories.

Even if truth exists here, its satirical turns have no zestful focus. The characters just appear insanely crude, appearing as if they are the test subjects for experimental drugs. This wayward comedy is disappointing considering an A-list of talent comprises the cast.

Grade: C- (Baaaaaaad!)



“The Box” (Mystery/Thriller: 1 hour, 36 minutes); Starring: Frank Langella, Cameron Diaz, and James Marsden; Director: Richard Kelly; Rated: PG-13 (Disturbing imagery, violence and thematic elements)

Movie Review: Norma Lewis (Diaz), a teacher, and her husband, Arthur (Marsden), are facing economic problems. A solution to their problem arrives. An articulate gentleman named Arlington Steward (Langella, splendid as always), a man missing a large proportion of the lower left side of his face, presents the couple with an offer they cannot refuse. Steward presents the happy married couple a box. He tells them that if they open the box and push the red button, he will give them one million dollars tax-free. The catch is when they push the push button someone in the world, a person they do not know, will die. The couple has 24 hours. The Lewises weigh the consequences, and Mrs. Lewis pushes the button.

Afterwards, Norma and Arthur Lewis have regrets about pushing the button and try to return it, but the charismatic Steward nicely, but creepily, states, “The button has been pushed.” The Lewises are not alone in their regrets. Audiences should have plenty of regrets too after seeing this misleading mystery.

“The Box” seems like the perfect thriller. It has a great beautiful and talented cast, and the plot appears intriguing and mysterious. The previews are misleading. “The Box,” without giving anything away, becomes something very different, involving altruism, NASA, and the supernatural. Surprises are fun in films, but not when they do not makes sense and the plot appears to join two different movie genres together, a thriller and science-fiction, ineffectively. Even more, some scenes appear out of place, where the actions of characters appear out of place. Automobile drivers appear to stare away driving for many seconds before turning attention back to the road — amazingly, no one crashed. Moreover, an open-ended conclusion is far from compelling.

Grade: C (Do not open.)



“The Fourth Kind” (Horror/Science-Fiction: 1 hour, 38 minutes); Starring: Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Elias Koteas; Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi; Rated: PG-13 (Violence, thematic elements and profanity)

Movie Review: Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler (Jovovich) is a psychologist counseling clients in Nome, Alaska. While working with several clients to resolve their mental tribulations, she notices they are all describing very similar accounts of what Dr. Tyler concludes are extraterrestrial abductions.

“Fourth Kind” supposedly uses fictional and actual footage of some of Tyler’s patients. A major problem exists if the footage is real. Why do reenactments if the real footage is as interesting as it appears? If aliens are abducting people, the attempt of any good movie producer should be the exhibition of the actual footage as a documentary.

Instead, viewers are given a creepy piece in the form of a thriller, removing the validity of alien abductions. Mainly, this exists because “Fourth Kind” never appears truthful. The facts are not tangible. The movie involves seemingly demonic possessions, and people who see events happen but deny the events after multiple viewings. Second, the characters present false memories, presented to audiences as concrete. This false presentation may fool some, but the producers are really only deceiving themselves. Viewers are suspicious from word go. The following Mark Twain quote is appropriate: “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”

Director-writer Osunsanmi forgets his film is about alien abductions, so he wanders into demonic possessions, suicidal clients, and unsolved murders in Nome, Alaska. You can fool some people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. Just not with this material.

Grade: C- (Not the correct kind)