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Buffalo's This Week in Movies, April 16th, 2009

Been a while since I ran down my latest movie reviews, so here we go.

ADVENTURELAND is the film the forty-somethings have been waiting for. It does for their youth what Dazed and Confused did for those of us in high school during the early seventies.

Adventureland finds an eclectic group of teenagers working summer jobs at the local amusement park, and explores all of the sex, drugs and rock and roll that ensues. The movie stars the adorable Kristen Stewart (Twilight) and Jesse Eisenberg, as two teens who begin to fall for one another while working together. Jesse’s performance reminded me a lot of the kid from Juno.

Kristen’s character “Em” is pretty deep and troubled, and she is trying to balance her true love for Jesse’s character with a sex and lust thing she has going with the older park maintenance man (Ryan Reynolds.)

Bill Hader (Superbad) is funny as hell as the park supervisor, and the entire supporting cast is excellent, not to mention the soundtrack. What could have been a movie filled with bad 80’s music is instead a movie filled with the better sounds of that decade. Yes, there really were some. “Satellite Of Love” by Lou Reed, “Modern Love” by David Bowie, as well as cuts from The Velvet Underground, The Replacements and The New York Dolls help to make this one a real five star movie.

SOUTHERN ROCK WATCH: Look for the kid sporting the awesome Molly Hatchet t-shirt.

OBSERVE AND REPORT was another truly funny film. Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, Knocked Up) stars as a mall security guard with attitude. A kind of dim-witted Cops wanna-be. Barney Fife on steroids.

Anna Farris (The House Bunny) is the super hottie that works in the cosmetics department at the mall that is the object of Rogen’s affection, whether she likes it or not. She is traumatized when approached by a flasher in the parking lot, and Rogen vows to catch the flasher at all costs.

Ray Liotta is among the stellar supporting cast of players in this hilarious four star movie.

FAST AND FURIOUS, the latest in the franchise, is by far the best chapter yet. Vin Diesel returns as Dominic Toretto, the jail bird “super driver”  who is hired by the bad guys to deliver the goods, while being pursued by detective Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), an old friend who somehow went straight - or did he? Dom changes his agenda after discovering the bad guys have killed his babe, Letty, (Michelle Rodriguez, LOST). Meanwhile, Letty’s equally beautiful sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), is still carrying a torch for O’Conner.

Fast cars, furious driving, hot babes and a bald guy. What more do you want? Action from beginning to end. Total escapist fun with more testosterone per square inch than a Hulk Hogan/Bill Goldberg wrestling match. Four and one half stars.

Looks like a great summer ahead. Movies I can hardly wait to see include X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Star Trek; Angels & Demons; Transformers 2; The Soloist; Funny People and about half a dozen others. Should be a good summer for cinema.

Photos: Babes a plenty! Kristen Stewart in Adventureland, Anna Farris in Observe & Report and Michelle Rodriguez doing the hood dance in Fast & Furious.

Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.
Buffalo

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