Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female) and Jude Law (Gattaca) stars alongside in this sci-fi twisting thriller with some action and lots to think about. Commonly associated with The Thirteenth Floor and the blockbuster The Matrix, eXistenZ is as thought-provoking and somewhat similar in its theme about parallel virtual realities. Starting great, it is unfortunate that such an interesting and fresh concept about cyber-games is not fully stretched to its exponential potential. This semi-action thriller is fun to watch but pretty slow and unprogressive at times. You are introduced to such a radical idea at the beginning that the slow-moving plot is at times so uninformative that the movie makes you impatient. Nonetheless, this stylish film is provocative and generally enjoyable, lasting about 90 minutes. Outstanding special effects and an apt cast saves this flick from any harsh reviews. Give it a shot if you're a fan of such genres. You shouldn't be too disappointed.


BIG DADDY

Adam Sandler is on a running streak of hit movies ever since The Wedding Singer last year. He is said to be taking over Jim Carrey to be the king of comedies. With this heartwarming date movie opening huge in the States, it is no wonder there is so much buzz surrounding this funny guy. He plays Sonny Koufax, a lawyer-can-be who is your typical happy-go-lucky chap to the extreme. With no 'big' ambition or future long term plans, he gets dumped for a senior citizen by his hot girlfriend (Kristy Swanson of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie). He finds his roommate Jon's son at his doorstep one morning whom Jon has on idea of ever having with a girlfriend years ago. Sonny decides to adopt the cute boy...

Big Daddy starts off typically and predictably but picks up after a while. Although not as hilarious as The Waterboy, Big is more cosy and endearing than it is funny. Some familiar faces co-stars as the wacky characters besides Kristy Swanson including Steve Buscemi (Armageddon) who plays a homeless guy and Rob Schneider (sitcom Men Behaving Badly and an uncredited performance in The Waterboy) as the delivery guy with no life. The crackiest jokes are found in the sarcastic repartee between Sonny and his roommate's girlfriend, a former waitress of the international franchise, Hooters. The adorable kid, Julian, played by a pair of twins in real life is an honest and real character. He's not the smart-alec wise a** or irritating brat commonly found in such Hollywood flicks. Layla, the gorgeous Rene Zellwegger doppleganger and girlfriend of Sonny, is played by Joey Lauren Adams whose past work includes Ben Affleck's Chasing Amy and Coneheads. All in all, this delightful cast is as likeable as the movie. Many colourful characters and a few scenes towards the end which makes you go awwwhhhh... are reasons enough to give this Sandler hit a thumbs-up. Go catch it at a theatre near you now!


ALL THE WAY

A group of friends decides to help Mike raise $32 000 dollars in less than a month to prevent him and his mom from getting evicted from their house. A geek, a horny lad, a lesbian and a straight gal decided upon producing a porn movie. They give out pamphlets, ring old school mates, hold auditions, and film the dirty movie; all in the name of helping Mike. Of course they enjoyed themselves and so did the audience. The Full Monty that's more explicit, All The Way's opening credits are the shots of the film production crew's name spelled out in cream on naked bodies of women. Although cheesy and typically b-rate, the movie is surprisingly highly digestible and funny. The story is not all that crude and lame once you get over the porn theme as the characters are pretty interesting and fuller than expected (no pun intended). The bimbos (or bimboes?) are great comic relieves and the wild ideas sprouting from the main characters are simply entertaining. With a bunch of self-righteous lesbians and a nasty guy from the bank attempting to spoil the bunch's plan, this wacky flick turns grossly wild and fun. Left with not much of a choice this weekend? Try All The Way.


GO

Go is underhyped and understated. With numerous parts and leads, some of the bigger names include Katie Holmes (Diturbing Behavior and Dawson's Creek), Scott Wolf (Party Of Five), Jane Krakowski (Ally Mcbeal) and Jay Mohr (Picture Perfect). Often compared to films of Quentin Tarantino, Go is interestingly similar in style and even includes an interrupted coffee house scene at the beginning and the end, just like Pulp Fiction. Perhaps a tribute to the radical actor-director, this action comedy has the usual drugs theme, violence, black humours and engaging characters. Directed by Doug Liman, he is the one who brought us Swingers in '96. The lives of a teen cashier struggling to pay her rent (Sarah Polley of eXistenZ), her male colleague who is kind of a drug dealer (Desmond Askew), and 2 gay drug offenders (Scott and Jay) helping the police, cross one night and the beautifully fabricated tale of that night is told three times in the movie, each time from a different point of view. This movie may seem tiresome with borrowed styles and ideas (Snake Eyes had the point of view thing), but Go is perhaps better is most aspects. It is clearer than a Tarantino hoopla, and definitely more engaging than Snake. About the darker side of American teens (think squeaky clean Joey and Bailey), this film is high. The action's great, the plot's unpredictable and the way everything falls into place (another Tarantino trademark) is simply too entertaining for any one to miss this movie. Stylish, wicked and hilarious, go for it!


THE IDIOTS

The plot and theme are too imcomprehensible: finding the inner idiot-self and having your family and friends accept it. The jerky cinematography gives a headache and the nudity seem thoughtless and uncontributing. I personally didn't get much out of this movie besides a couple of intense scenes from the characters. Figure it out and post me a review.


ROGUE TRADER