Jeff Kleiser Movies
Spoof series torch-bearer and Airplane! mastermind David Zucker steps back into the captain's chair for yet another round of cinematic shenanigans in the latest installment of the Scary Movie franchise, this time mocking such frightful blockbusters as Saw, War of the Worlds, The Village, and The Grudge. An alien invasion threatens to wipe out the entire human race, but not if Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and her nymphomaniac pal Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall) have any say in the matter. With the clock counting down for all of humankind and the extraterrestrial invasion about to begin, the fearless but slightly dunderheaded heroines are joined by a series of celebrity guests including Dr. Phil, Carmen Electra, Chris Elliot, Shaquille O'Neal, and, of course, Leslie Nielsen in ensuring that the planet remains free of the alien menace and prepared for yet another installment in the over-the-top, pop-culture deflating satire series. Although two versions of this film officially exist (a PG-13 one and an "Unrated and Uncensored" one - evidently they skipped the R version) the unrated cut only reportedly features about 3 extra minutes of screen time, devoted to jiggling and bouncing breast implants. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Faris, Regina Hall, (more)
A handful of heroes become superheroes under unlikely circumstances in this action drama adapted from the long-running Marvel comic book series. Four astronauts are on a mission aboard a new experimental spacecraft when they are unexpectedly exposed to a massive dose of gamma rays. The accident causes strange and unexpected transformations in all four. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), top scientist and leader of the mission, can now stretch his body like elastic and is dubbed Mr. Fantastic. His partner and sweetheart, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), develops the ability to become invisible at will, and becomes known as The Invisible Girl. Her younger brother, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), is renamed The Human Torch for his new talent of being able to summon up fire from his body when he chooses. And Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), pilot for the journey, mutates into a monstrous creature with super-human strength and muscles like stone, known as The Thing. Together, the travelers become known as the Fantastic Four, and they set out to use their unusual skills to fight crime, quickly gaining a nemesis in another altered hero who uses his talents for evil, Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). A long-gestating project that had been talked about by a number of filmmakers since the early '90s, Fantastic Four was previously the basis for a pair of animated television serials, and was made into a feature film in 1994 by producer Roger Corman, though that film was never officially released. (Fantastic Four creator Stan Lee has said the 1994 film was made only so that the producers could hold on to the rights to the characters, and that it was never intended to be distributed to the public.) ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, (more)
Planned for years, but plagued by problems such as the death of director John Frankenheimer before production had even begun and the exiting of star Liam Neeson, the fourth installment of the Exorcist saga finally got off the ground with Paul Schrader (Affliction, Auto Focus) behind the camera and Stellan Skarsgård filling the shoes left empty by Neeson. But the pitfalls didn't stop there, as Morgan Creek decided against their initial approach assigned to Schrader after seeing his finished cut, and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot the film with extra gore and head-spinning nastiness. The first prequel in the series, Exorcist: The Beginning is based upon events occurring before the first film. Playing the character made famous by Max von Sydow in the earlier films, this entry finds Skarsgård as a young Father Merrin facing true evil for the first time in Africa in the wake of World War II. When a young local boy begins to behave strangely, it becomes more and more apparent to Merrin that the child is a victim of demonic possession. Boasting a first-time screenplay by best-selling novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), Exorcist: The Beginning features a supporting cast headed by Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye) and James D'Arcy (Master And Commander). ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, (more)
- 1988
Attendees of a Southern California cocktail party find themselves reevaluating their convoluted, faulted lives following a major earthquake and a series of aftershocks in this hip comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Perry, Jennifer Holmes, (more)
