By now, you know how I feel about creepy kid movies, so it should come as no surprise that I was super pumped for The Unborn. Sadly, it didn't live up to it's trailer or my expectations, but it didn't totally suck either. I enjoyed the premise, a twin who died in the womb haunting the sibling who lived. And then the mythology, maybe this spirit twin is a stronger presence that needs to be exorcised from our world, was also good. But the dialogue and terrible acting just brought me completely out of the story. The main girl, Odette Yustman ("Cloverfield") wasn't that bad, but her friend, Meagan Good ("Saw V") killed me every time she opened her mouth. I started dreading her appearance on screen.
Yentl has Barbra Steisand ("Meet the Fockers") as a Jewish woman who poses as a man so she can study the Torah. Of course, she falls in love with a classmate, Mandy Patinkin ("Choking Man"), and then all of weirdness happens while she tries to keep her secret. Plus, there's singing. I found it sometimes strange and often touching. Definitely worth watching.
The Invisible is kind of a lame thriller about a kid who gets beaten and left for dead, but his spirit is wandering about trying to get someone to find his body before he actually dies. It entertained me. Partly because I think the main kid, Justin Chatwin ("Middle of Nowhere"), is adorable. But the story is just okay and the acting isn't great. Except for Marcia Gay Harden ("Home"), of course. I say, if it's on, watch it. But don't go to any great lengths to seek it out.
You don't always know from a preview which Steve Carell ("Get Smart") you're going to get, but Dan in Real Life features the subtle and still funny man. The story is very sweet and very realistic. Carell plays a widower raising three girls. They got to a family reunion where Carell falls for his brother's girlfriend. Like all family situations, this movie features many classic moments, both tear-jerking and uncomfortable. Pleasantly surprised by this one.
I'm pretty sure that Headless Horseman is a Sci-Fi channel original. And, of course, I got sucked right in there. In a slasher take on the Sleepy Hollow story, a group of teenagers get stranded in a backwoods, inbred (typical) town where every 7 years, Headless comes looking for 7 heads to feed to hell. It's a weird backstory, and it might even have been more interesting, if the dialogue and acting hadn't been so bad. I realize that this a common complaint of mine. But I just feel that there are so many good actors and writers out there, why can't studios try harder to get better ones?