Everyone loves homage, but, not to the point of homogenization. If you can’t be yourself, who can you be? Two more directors left the competition: Kenny and Matteen had the fewest votes, but it was close.

This week On The Lot fields funny films. Who delivered? Tonight featured sparks both literally and figuratively, along with flying themes. But where did it leave the viewer — pining for The Wizard of Oz and Some Like It Hot?

First up, Zach's The Bonus Feature, set in a car. Woman presses a button in the car. They go back in time to the 1950s for a game of chicken. She presses button again and instant star wars — well shot and “incredible visually” from Carrie, who got feisty during the show with Garry. Everyone thinks that Zack has the potential to be a great filmmaker. But he was in over his head. What was he thinking? He must have read too much into other blogs. K.I.S.S., Zach. Trying to convey quantum physics in a few minutes is a stretch even for someone as talented as this developing director.

Next up, Adam's Girl Trouble. This was closer to containing elements of a funny film. Garry got it right: it was more like a skit than an original film. Not a bad film, but difficult for me to be objective about. It’s about two guys discussing their roommates, but both men obviously sleeping with “real men.” The premise was funny, but not my cup of tea. Subtlety lacking in this “skit.”

Unplugged by Will was an office romance where the desk lamps come alive, file cabinets descend into drawers. One of the lamps gets unplugged, and they create havoc in the dark of the office. Where does this leave the two co-workers introduced briefly in the opening shot? Will did not get it right. The set-up was too short. It did not make me laugh. Will made us care about silent lamps though, and overall, the filmmaking was solid and expressive. He got some props from the other directors. The judges found it “original and charming.” His opening character setup was not adequate though.

Jason's film was Keep Off Grass and was set in a backyard. In this film a meteor makes an appearance and with it a man appears in a superhero suit, with a female co-superhero. The two are arguing while the main character is pruning flowers and never sees all the sexy action, now starting to take place just behind his back — cute, funny. They almost take it off, but fly off instead — he turns around. They have completely trashed the yard in the meantime. Why didn’t they destroy the whole town? It had good pace, good story. But Carrie thought it was “too ambitious, problems with the execution,” and she was right. Too many storylines to juggle into a seamless fit, in the end he did not tailor the story to the characters. The ending fizzled after all the sparking and flying.

American Hoe, Sam's film, takes place in one room. That’s a problem. A couple getting married — no glamour there. Good opening shot, and setting, but it was also the only setting. Gary, fiancé, gives fiancée the stamps for use on wedding invitations. She looks more closely at the stamps and after seeing a man milking a cow declares: “I don’t want nipples on my wedding invitation!” That made me laugh. Come on guys, make me laugh. Then one of the stamps reads “American Hoe.” He says “They are just stamps,” another funny line. She wanted love stamps and he did not deliver. Did Gary do it on purpose? That was unclear. This would have made it just right. Garry could not stamp approval. I agree. The cute guest director, Brad Silberling, thought the woman in the film was “shrewish” and he could not get into the film for that reason. Nowhere for it to go… good point.

Old Home Boyz was where Jason took a role in his own film. Did he bring it for the b-boys? The story begins with Jason seeing himself in a high school year book, then moves right along to develop conflict at a party that the “old boys” attend. He sees an old flame. Sudden competition from another old guy. They dance it off — good moves. The old Jason gets the girl in the end. The best film of the night by far goes to Jason. It left you wanting more. Comedy is difficult but first flaunt what you know, and you will bring it each time.

While it doesn’t break any new ground, push the genre forward, or change how we view horror movies, Cabin Fever is loads of fun. It may lack in multiples areas, especially explanation, but that doesn’t detract from the goofy, gory fun of this low budget, flesh-eating virus flick.

Starting off with a clichéd and predictable teen horror movie set-up, Cabin Fever is as campy as they come. In fact, the final ten minutes are so off the wall, you’ve simply never seen anything else go this far to end on a downer. Granted, it’s one so funny that you won’t forget it anytime soon, and that’s how much of the movie plays out.

As a disease begins picking off the college crew, panic sets in. Cabin Fever shifts between straight comedy, dark horror, dark comedy, and then straight horror. The panic can go either way depending how you see the film, and each character deals with it in their own way. They may be tired clichés, but they’re well thought out and enough time is spent to build them up to make their actions later have a purpose.

The plotline is stuffed between some truly bizarre and incomprehensible scenes. “Pancakes” will end up as a high-ranking sequence in terms of baffling inclusions in a film. Somehow, it all makes sense in terms of Cabin Fever. Director Eli Roth knows the genre, and takes great care to make his own style stick out.

Sadly, there are many questions left over. There’s never an explanation for why the disease/virus/infection/sickness begins to affect people. The kids become trapped, and the movie leaves this important plot point behind. A killing spree late in the film is also somewhat odd, though there is enough character development to possibly figure out a reason for it.

Many will take a pass on this one, and that’s fine. Fever has a very specific audience in mind and goes to great lengths to satisfy those of us with a dark, sick sense of humor. If you’re part of that group, here’s one created just for you.

Being low budget, there’s an especially solid video presentation at work. Colors are intentionally muted, so the transfer lacks any outstanding features. However, it’s clean, clear, and sharp. Black levels are strong, and the copious amounts of gore show through beautifully, or disgusting depending on where you fall.

When the film has a chance to showcase some action, there’s a solid 5.1 effort to carry it. Motion is conveyed nicely as shots are fired, and a few minor scenes use the rear speakers to create some false scares. Bass is solid and effective when called upon.

Beneath the Skin is a 30-minute 'making of' that begins the extras. It shows how making the film was loads of fun, including plenty of commentary from Roth. Pancakes is a brief VHS clip of a Kata by Danny, someone who Fever fans will know. Five commentaries (yes, five) load the audio portion of the disc with more information than you’ll ever need.

Family version runs about 30 seconds, and fits right in with the movie itself in terms of sense of humor. It’s the only G-rated edition of the movie you’ll ever see. “Chick Vision” blocks out the scary scenes, making it easier for couples with weak stomachs to take in this movie, and completely miss the point. Rockin’ Fruit is a series of three animated shorts produced by Eli Roth that are well worth watching for gore fans, or to see how sick some people in our society (in a good way) can be.

It would take three years after the box office success of Cabin Fever for Eli Roth to land his next hit. Hostel would prove enormously successful. The sequel didn’t fare as well when it released in June of 2007.

Matt Paprocki is the reviews editor for Digital Press, a classic video game website which he called home after his fanzine (Gaming Source) published its final issue. The deep game collection which spans nearly 30 systems and 2,000 games line his walls for reasearch purposes. Really. He has also begun writing freelance for the Toledo Free Press.

Have movie watchers become so desperate for entertainment they’ll immediately run to the first movie with cute talking animated animals? Apparently so, and Happy Feet is the prime example. Inconsistent, baffling, boring, and completely dull, this animated penguin flick is a complete disaster.

The sole benefit of Happy Feet is its look. This is some of the best animation you’ll ever see, loaded with incredible effects and stunning vistas. There’s nothing else like it in a crammed genre that is quickly running out of ideas.

That’s not enough to carry this film, one that feels amazingly disjointed and out of focus. The opening moments including a birthing ceremony are baffling, unexplained, and flat out terrifying for kids. The film then makes a desperate attempt at grabbing an audience with the dancing penguin routine multiple times over that have no point in terms of story.

The constant musical numbers are likewise pointless. The music is generic, loud, and completely uninteresting. Once you’ve seen a hundred dancing penguins, seeing it multiple times afterwards is just filler. Attempts at drama and action are also out of place. A seal attack looks like something out of Jurassic Park.

As for a plot, there’s not much here. There’s no sense of flow to the story, and scenes suddenly pop up on screen without a sense of how the characters got there in the first place. The “story” exists to show nothing more than animated animals in cute situations to win over the viewer.

Those looking deeper will find countless levels of innuendo, religious intolerance, racism, and human environmental destruction forcefully pushed into the running time. No kids will grasp any of this, but adults could only sit down at family time and feel awkward for most of the film. Things like this further the perception that Happy Feet has no sense of pacing or focus.

Happy Feet may gain the glance of the smallest children who simply want to see penguins on the screen. They may learn a thing or two about isolation and rejection, though even this main message could be ignored in the midst of everything else being thrown at them. This is an awful, disgustingly cute, pointless animated affair.

If the film has any redeemable features, it’s that the HD DVD is quite possibly the best looking home video product ever released. There is nothing wrong with this disc. Clarity is simply unbelievable, compression is never seen, and the detail is unparalleled. Looking deep for flaws simply reveals more details such as individual snowflakes, feathers, and tiny touches in the visuals that help you appreciate the animation further. You simply can’t find a better video presentation on the current market.

To sweeten the deal, Warner decided to up the offer with a TrueHD audio track that is also phenomenal. Bass is powerful, effective, and home destroying at high levels. That’s exactly how it should be. Surround use is immersive during musical numbers, and the few action scenes light up the sound field with spectacular movement in all channels.

Two unfinished scenes begin the set of extras, including one dedicated to the late Steve Irwin. A shorts cartoon from the Warner Bros. archives is followed by a five minute tap dancing dance lesson. Two music videos finish the meager extras aside from the trailer.

With a massive box office take, and being placed already as the best selling DVD of 2007, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see a sequel coming down the line at some point. The shocking number of awards also makes the sequel idea close to a lock. Mumble is apparently cute enough regardless of the movie he’s in.

Matt Paprocki is the reviews editor for Digital Press, a classic video game website which he called home after his fanzine (Gaming Source) published its final issue. The deep game collection which spans nearly 30 systems and 2,000 games line his walls for reasearch purposes. Really. He has also begun writing freelance for the Toledo Free Press.

On Monday's General Hospital:

While using the pass Lucky arranged for her to visit Jason, Elizabeth all but tells Jason she hopes that once he is free the two of them can be a family with her kids. Jason, however tells her he will abide by the sacrifices he's made for Jake's sake and encourages her to keep her current family solid for his son's sake. In the meantime Lucky, angry that Liz actually used the pass and curious about what Sam had said in the park, confronted her, wanting to know if Jason loves Liz. In a case of unusual restraint, Sam kept Liz and Jason's secret.

Even with Sam keeping the secret to herself, Lucky has to be beyond suspicious. He is one of PC's finest after all. How can he not read between the lines on this one?

Alexis's and Carly's plan to get their hands on Jerry's PDA went a long way for comic relief but was completely unsuccessful as Jerry was on to them the whole time. When Ric stopped by, allegedly to discuss Molly's visitation with Alexis, and found Jerry and Alexis drinking wine, he lost it, saying Molly would not be allowed to be with her if she was associating with Jerry.

While I would normally say any father has the right to be concerned over Jerry's presence, the way Ric's been acting the last year has me not care one lick about what he says. Now that Alexis appears to be healthy I'm so ready for her to knock that smug attitude out of him.

As hard as Kate tried to resist the effects of the aphrodisiac she had accidentally taken, it got the best of her and she gave in to temptation with Sonny. When Warren discovered she had accidentally taken the wrong pills from his pocket, he called Kate and apologized and explained. As I predicted, Kate wrote off the incident and vowed to Sonny it would never happen again.

At the Metro Court benefit party, Noah – posing as Eli – was downing the shots like there was no tomorrow, worrying and infuriating Patrick who could no longer hold his tongue. Patrick stepped in, nearly blowing Noah's cover. As I suspected Anna had it all under control and was giving the good doctor water, not vodka. She promised Patrick she would keep his father safe from temptation, which obviously included the over-eager fan looking for a repeat performance in Eli's bed. After Anna chased her away by spraying her with water, Noah pulled her close and the two kissed – changing the scope of Robin's and Patrick's concern.

Ah the many temptations of being a rockstar, or pretending to be a rockstar as the case may be. This viewer is hoping the kiss wasn't part of the act, because it would be so nice to see Noah involved in a romantic relationship and Anna has just the fiery personality to be a good match – even if Robin and Patrick are weirded out by the idea of their parents being involved.

On Tuesday's GH:

• After hearing from Jason that he and Sam are over. Carly takes the task of getting Sam out of his apartment into her own hands.
• Edward and Monica put Lulu under house-arrest to keep her from Logan.
• Maxie finds herself in a similar situation as last year, when she tries to procure drugs for a strung out and volatile Cody.

Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she’s not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. Contact: Phillips.connie@gmail.com

At what point does a sublime experience turn into a traumatic one? A strange philosophical question that no postmodernist intellectual has advanced, as far as I’ve heard. It’s a question that we, as an audience, might ask of Danny Boyle’s new sci-fi thriller, Sunshine, and though (like many of the questions posed by/of the narrative) it’s never answered, it’s probably worth the journey across the threshold.

Boyle is famous for some of his other violent, psychological head-trips. From Trainspotting to 28 Days Later, Boyle seems obsessed with traumatic experiences that tax both our minds and our bodies. Sunshine is the story of such an extreme experience: in the shadow of the dying galaxy, a small crew of a ship called the Icarus II is charged with piloting an apocalyptic bomb into the sun in order to restart its fusion mechanisms.

Boyle flaunts his influences. At times, the film seems like a remake of 2001: A Space Odyssey, especially during the first half, when the imagery is dominated by slow, balletic interstellar maneuvers and stunning lights and colors. This half of the film is also when the psychological elements are most developed, and it’s this first half that audiences should remember most fondly. This also may be when Boyle seems most an artist: the visuals are unique, sublime, and engaging, and the film looks like it might develop as a ghostly portrait of a crew, rather than as a horror sci-fi scramble.

After the first hour, there’s a key change in tone and pace, and Sunshine becomes less about psychological balance and nuance and more about tension and claustrophobia. The key scene, where the transition takes place, is the crew’s exploration of another ship, the Icarus I, and this scene is punctuated by one of the most ruthless little cinematic tricks available to the filmmaker (a trick popularized by Tyler Durden in Fight Club). This tense, ghostly stretch is where the film breaks down into certain accepted horror conventions.

To Sunshine’s credit, it never breaks into the excess that characterizes so much horror these days. Though it’s often compared to Event Horizon, Sunshine has nothing like the gore or torture that pervaded that film. Boyle’s use of an unstable, unfocused lens has been criticized, but it’s necessary to keep Sunshine from becoming a simple monster movie. The hazy camera work helps replace the revulsion of classic horror with the fear and claustrophobic confusion that you’d find in an extreme environment that’s breaking down around you.

To be fair to the critics, the antagonist was barely developed, and appeared less as a true villain than as another disaster that happened to befall the crew. The audience never feels his presence as a character, and this is one of the biggest weaknesses that can be ascribed to this intelligent, but slightly schizophrenic film.

In contrast, however, the rest of the crew of the Icarus II was surprisingly well-rendered. In a rare moment of filmmaking, there was no sudden twist that turned a hero into a villain. The audience is allowed and encouraged to side with the whole crew, and to hope for the resolution of their differences and the achievement of their goal… even when this means their ultimate demise.

In closing, we have here a movie in two parts: the first, a sublime, haunting trip through outer and inner space, convincing on both a cosmic and a personal level; the second, the breakdown of that early harmony, a panicked rising action where the psychological constitution of the characters is tested and reconsidered. I’d suggest going for the first half, and enjoying the second half as a corollary. I’m not going to speak for horror buffs, being largely unfamiliar with that demographic, but anyone with a passing interest in speculative fiction, psychological and cosmic suspense, or the power of imagery will find the film worth its inconsistencies.

In all of cinema, there aren't many filmmakers who would complete a feature-length film and, for whatever reason, scrap the end product and start over. The desire to get films seen, to have the satisfaction of the work resulting in something, often causes us to overlook the fact that some things are better served as educational failures, tucked away on a shelf somewhere far from the public. Some films are better utilized chopped into guitar picks and not all publicity is good publicity. Few artists realize that sometimes you just have to destroy your work before it destroys you.

Fewer still are able to fix it.

Which brings us to Confusions of an Unmarried Couple, the latest brew from the Butler Brothers, two Canadian brothers whose previous efforts include the unseen-by-me Alive and Lubricated (2005) and Bums (2006).

As you may have guessed, this is not their first attempt at Confusions of an Unmarried Couple. The first, shot two years prior on Hi-8, survives as a video diary inter-cut with new footage (shot over one weekend on a Panasonic AG-DVX 100 in 24p for the cost of tapes and, I assume, food). As a result, we see two characters at slightly different ages, as there's no question time has passed between the confessional and the here and now. It's a pretty good unintentional effect, and might even have been a great one with slightly better execution.

The story is this: Dan and Lisa, the titular unmarried couple, find their relationship shattered when Dan discovers Lisa cheating with another woman. Several months later, Dan returns to their apartment to reclaim some of his things. The confessional footage takes place somewhere between the breakup and the rest of the film, which takes place over the course of a few hours. Only the confessional footage is older than that. The characters have aged too much for the timeline to hold up. It's a tiny thing, for sure, and few audience members will even notice, but it's worth mentioning, nonetheless.

The premise is a nice one — simple and direct with echoes of Bergman, and the script is either not quite polished enough or just a little too polished, I'm not quite sure which one. But the film hinges on Butler's performance. Imagine if you will, someone who's a cross between the Hanson brothers from Slap Shot (1977) and Mark Borchardt from American Movie (1999) with black-rimmed glasses, shoulder-length hair, a long goatee, and an orange mesh baseball hat flipped backwards. He speaks excitedly in a thick Canadian accent, rattling off profanities, and operates almost completely by his own single-minded ethos. As an actor, he's serviceable, but as a screen presence, as a character, he's a delight to watch.

Consider his confessional of why cheating with someone so similar to who you're with is pointless, and his list of the types of women he might theoretically like to be with for a change of pace. Clearly this is something he's previously considered in great detail. Or, take the fact that the first item he attempts to take out of the apartment is none other than the mattress, even though Lisa is in the other room. Where the film suffers, where it lags, Butler keeps it going by the sheer force of his charisma. He's easily the best part of the film.

As for the look of the film, it's awfully hard to fault a film shot this quickly, but in a perfect world, we'd lose some of the repetitive set-ups, as at times there's a feeling that visually we're looking at the same scene several times over, just with different words and in different rooms. A bit of variety from the camera could do wonders, but, in a production moving so fast, the need to get the story trumps elaborate visuals, so call it more of a wish than a critique.

Really, though, the important thing is that Confusions of an Unmarried Couple, while far from perfect, is one hell of an enjoyable 73 minutes, and you can't really ask for much more than that.

Starring: Brett Butler and Naomi M. Johnson
Cinematography by: Jason Butler
Written by: Brett Butler
Directed by: Brett Butler and Jason Butler
CAD 500/73 min/Toronto, Canada

You can check out Confusions of an Unmarried Couple on IMDB, MySpace, or the official web page, where you can check out this and other Butler Brothers Brews.

Got a film you'd like to submit for the Uber-Indie Project? Go here for details.

The spin-off of the daytime drama, General Hospital, General Hospital: Night Shift debuted on Soapnet last night, and if nothing else was made obviously clear, it was that we shouldn't plan for there to be too much semblance between the storylines of this and the parent drama.

Yes, they both take place at General Hospital in the fictional town of Port Charles, New York, and yes you will see plenty of familiar faces, with a splattering of new talent and one legendary performer (Billy Dee Williams plays Toussaint Dubois — an all knowing all seeing janitor). But other than the fact that both Doctor Patrick Drake and Doctor Robin Scorpio are being punished by working the hospital's Emergency Room on Saturday nights, very little in plot meshed with the daytime show.

Biggest case in point, as Robin and Patrick rush out to meet an incoming ambulance in the first few opening minutes, an SUV pulls up. Mac gets out from behind the wheel and opens the back door, and out steps Jason (Yes, just hours earlier on GH he was still in jail and when 3:00 rolls around, he will still be in jail on the daytime version), then an injured Spinelli.

But, let's back up a bit. With the show's opening, I was most impressed with the look and the feel of the show. We begin in the doctor's lounge and Dr. Robin Scorpio in the shower, but wait she's not alone, that would be Dr. Patrick Drake moving in behind her. We get a brief taste of some steamy scrubs action, before we hear both their pagers going off. We were warned, General Hospital: Night Shift was going to be grittier and sexier and so it is.

We go from the showers into the fire. The Emergency Room is loud, crowded, and Epiphany is barking the orders (much like during the day). There is a little boy who fell out of a tree who needs a neurologist and a patient on the way in with possible neurological damage (good thing we have two doctors with that specialty on the floor on this Saturday night). As Robin and Patrick bicker about who's going to take which case and Patrick barks about "where's my patient" as they wait for the ambulance, the camera pans and we see a pregnant woman approaching, a suspicious looking man wearing camouflage who seems distressed and distracted, and the above mentioned scene with Jason and Spinelli arriving plays out.

The ambulance arrives, swerving all over the place and the two EMT's stumble out both laughing uncontrollably. Patrick opens the back of the ambulance to find the patient also in an uncontrollable fit of laughter, and determines nitrous oxide is leaking. He jumps at the guy dressed in camo as he moves to light his cigarette but it's too late, there is an explosion. Patrick is thrown to the cement, the other man is thrown into some combat flashback, and it is Jason who must pull the patient, who is on fire, from the ambulance and put out the flames with his jacket.

With one of the attending physicians now a patient, it would seem the remainder of the episode is spent introducing viewers to the new doctors and nurses, and following through with the medical stories which were set up. It turns out the man in camouflage is a post-traumatic stress patient who has served two tours in Iraq. He has little interest in consoling with Lainey though, he just wants her to prescribe him some Percodan and send him on his way, saying she can't fix what's wrong with him. Near episode's end he is able to steal some during an intense moment.

We find out the pregnant woman who was knocked off her feet by the explosion, is HIV positive when Robin is sent in to bandage her scraped knees because Dr. Lee had an emergency cesarean to perform. In this segment as well as follow ups with Robin and Patrick, and then later Jason, we once again see Robin struggling with her inner desire to become a mother someday, despite her HIV positive status. What's not familiar, however, is Patrick being even just a little bit open to it.

While Jason is waiting for Spinelli to receive treatment, he learns the woman he pulled from the ambulance died. For much of the remaining episode, the student nurses are trying to find out her identity from the hotel she was staying in. All we as viewers learn is the last name – Barrett – the same as Cooper's last name. Coincidence? I don't think so. Especially since rumors have been flying that the role of Brenda Barrett is being recast so the character can return to the daytime drama.

When student nurse Regina finally obtained the mystery woman's identity and took it down to the morgue, she discovers the woman is not dead when she moans and raises her arm. As the closing credits and montage began rolling, we see the gurney surrounded by hospital staff, including the new cardiologist Dr. Julian and a very stunned Nurse Regina wheeling her back into a trauma room and working on her. I look for this story to arc to be one of the few to cross back to the daytime counterpart eventually.

You'd think that would be enough medical drama for the hour, but it's not. Comic relief, as usual comes in the form of Spinelli, completely smitten with nurse Jolene and facing 6 months for the unsafe discharge of the weapon he used to shoot himself in the foot. Of course, hero that the hitman is, Jason steps up and says he accidentally shot Spin. He is arrested at the end of the show, but not before the elderly woman who has patiently waited in the ER for the whole episode, and has been dismissed by nurse Layla as someone who frequents the hospital because she is lonely, collapses against him, bleeding from her side.

Yes, General Hospital: Night Shift is definitely grittier and more focused on the hospital. It has familiar faces in new situations that will probably, in some instances cross over and affect the daytime drama, but not with any symbiotic relationship or continuity. This is its own entity completely. High drama in the form of the patients, the ugliness of financing medicine in the form of Dr. Ford and Miss Sneed, sex appeal in the form of Doctors Scorpio and Drake, and just enough humor to keep it from getting too dark in the form of Spinelli, Maxie, and Cooper, all work together to make this new edition to the Soapnet line-up one of the best things to be associated with daytime drama in a long time.

For the next twelve weeks you can watch General Hospital: Night Shift on the Soapnet network on Thursdays at 11:00 pm, and repeats several times during the week.

Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she’s not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. Contact: Phillips.connie@gmail.com

There is no denying the huge contribution that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone made to the action genre in the eighties. But it was a certain Bruce Willis who came along in 1988 and completely re-defined the genre starring as New York cop John McClane in Die Hard. The film was a huge success at the box office and naturally two sequels followed in 1990 (Die Hard 2) and 1995 (Die Hard With A Vengeance). Now in 2007 Willis returns as McClane in Live Free or Die Hard.

Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) set in motion a devastating plot to completely take down the computer and technological structure that supports the United States economy. A group of unknowing hackers aid his operation and are killed off one by one apart from Matt Farrell (Justin Long), who is inadvertently saved by Detective John McClane after he is called to pick up the young hacker. Now McClane, aided by Farrell, must track down Gabriel and stop his operation.

Die Hard is still very much the quintessential action picture; if you only own one it has to be that one. Looking at the genre since Die Hard was released, there are a few standout films that come close: John Woo’s Hard Boiled and Face Off, Jan de Bont’s Speed, Simon West’s Con Air, Michael Bay’s The Rock, and James Cameron’s True Lies.

All of those above movies contained the key elements to a great action picture: likable and believable leading man backed up by likable and convincing supporting characters. An over-the-top, menacing, sometimes hammed-up villain. Entertaining and engaging action sequences with spectacular stunt work, occasional use of CGI if need be. Also, witty one-liners from the principal character are a must.

Die Hard 2 and Die Hard With A Vengeance stuck to the above rules, so now does Live Free or Die Hard keep up the tradition? I am glad to report that it certainly does in general. Like most action films, in places it does get a little ridiculous; for example Maggie Q’s character apparently has nine lives. Her fight scene with Willis is very brutal though; Bruce actually ended up with 43 stitches in his head after filming it — ouch.

Overall, the action scenes are highly entertaining and I happily smiled through every one of them. The stunts are fantastic and CGI was only used once to aid the deliciously over-the-top finale. One scene in particular finds McClane out of bullets; the answer? He accelerates a car up to a ramp, dives out at the last minute leaving the car to propel airborne into a helicopter causing it to explode, and they really did perform this stunt with no CGI (now, that’s old skool).

Justin Long comes across as a very likable nerd perfectly playing off Willis’s tough guy. Timothy Olyphant hams it up just enough and is convincing but not very menacing; not surprisingly, he can’t hold a candle to Alan Rickman’s villain in the original Die Hard. Kevin Smith also pops up in a cameo role as a super-hacker known as the Warlock; it could have been cheesy but Smith plays it straight and is very funny.

Willis slips back into character with ease and is clearly enjoying every single second of the movie. The one-liners are aplenty and full of humour with Bruce delivering them straight as an arrow. Willis brings back all of McClane’s mannerisms including his tendency to rant to himself. And yes, he still looks the part.

I must give credit to director Len Wiseman who delivers easily his best film to date. He handles the action sequences very adeptly, keeping the thrills coming throughout the two-hour runtime.

Whilst Live Free or Die Hard never manages to hit the brilliant highs of the original (can’t really say I expected it too, either) it is still a worthy sequel much like parts two and three. Going back to what makes a great action film, this comes very close with the likable lead already firmly in place, and the bottom line is this: the main reason to watch Live Free or Die Hard is Mr. Willis as he expertly drives this very entertaining action vehicle. Yippee-ki-yay!

On Thursday's General Hospital:

There was some tension on Thursday's GH, some of it leading up to the Night Shift which began its run on Soapnet at 11:00 pm last night.

Robin and Patrick received the decree they were to spend the next three months working Saturday nights in the emergency room. Both whined and whimpered about how it was unfair, but ultimately agreed that it was worth it to save the man (who didn't have health insurance), though by the episode's end it seemed in question if the procedure had saved his life. Robin wanted to stay at the hospital and wait for the latest battery of tests, but Patrick insisted they head home and get some rest before their night time shift.

I guess it's a topical issue, hospitals needing to operate in the black to function, but I'm having a hard time understanding where Dr. Ford is coming from. I suppose it's supposed to be that way, the viewer isn't supposed to like the authoritative figure, but it seems like the 'punishment' pill would be easier to swallow if I felt Robin and Patrick were in the wrong.

Diane walked in on Sonny's meeting with Ric and once they were alone he told his lawyer what the DA's evidence was against Jason – the digital voice recorder. Diane admitted it was bad, and would be hard evidence to refute. Bernie showed up to let Sonny know the shipment delivery went horribly wrong: the merchandise was confiscated, two of their men were in jail, and Logan was no where to be seen.

What a wonderful playful scene with Bernie and Diane. Do we have a new power couple in the making here? As far as the rest of it goes — ho, hum, I'm so over the mob stories.

Lulu, in the meantime, fretted over why Logan never showed up back at the club and, with a little help from Maxie's chiding, believed it was because he wasn't interested. After talking about it with Carly, she went to his place and found out he feared what Sonny would do to him for losing the shipment. Logan tried to push her away, saying he wasn't interested anymore, and she almost believed him. That is until she turned to leave and realized he had been shot.

Boy, I can't be the only one seeing a Luke and Laura flashback with this set-up. Lulu with her innocent way about her (though she's certainly not as much as they tried to portray her yesterday) and Logan was all tough, scarred, and trying to push Lulu away for her own good.

Spinelli saw Jerry and Carly talking and jumped in to try and save the "Fair Valkyrie" from the "Unhinged One" only to be humiliated by Jerry. Taking refuge in the diner with Georgie, he came to the conclusion he needed to do something about his wimpiness. Later, Georgie returned his forgotten wallet to him at the penthouse and found him with Jason's gun. Quickly assessing the situation, she decided it would be a good idea to give him a crash course in firearm safety.

It certainly looks like an accident just waiting to happen!

On Friday's GH:

• Sam confronts Jerry. Anna's back. But why? Liz sneaks in to visit Jason.

Wife, mother, aspiring novelist, and music editor at BC Magazine, Connie Phillips spends most of her time in a fantasy land of her own creating. In reality, she writes about music, television, and the process of writing, when she’s not cheering on her kids at equestrian events. Contact: Phillips.connie@gmail.com

A new year at Hogwarts is brought to us by a new creative team, building on what has come before, as should be expected. I have found that each successive outing makes it a little bit harder for newcomers. You almost need to have seen the previous four films before going into this one in order to get the full effect. Now, I know that there are probably very few viewers like that, but I found myself feeling a little at a disadvantage, as it has been a while since I've seen Goblet of Fire, but I think I fared pretty well.

This outing picks up with Harry feeling the dramatic effects from the conclusion of the last film, leading us into a world that is getting considerably darker than it had been. The Order of the Phoenix is a step up from the last one, and promises that the true darkness is yet to come.

Goblet of Fire came to a close following a battle between Harry and the returning Voldemort which resulted in the death of fellow student Cedric Diggory. This death and the the danger that Voldemort represents lies heavily upon the head of young Harry. The weight is evident in the very first scene, which is one of the few, so far, to take place away from Hogwarts and its related areas, and occur in the "real" world.

Harry, wearing a face that is much more angst-ridden and weary beyond his years, has a confrontation with his cousin, Dudley, which is stopped short by the appearance of a pair of Dementors on the prowl for the young wizard. Left with little choice, Harry casts a spell to save himself and Dudley, an action which results in his prompt expulsion. You see, it is against the rules for minors to cast spells away from the school.

This brings Harry back together with his permanent companions, Hermione and Ron, and also introduces him to The Order of the Phoenix, a group that is all about putting a stop to Voldemort's advances. All this before they even get back to the school!

Anyway, once they get back to Hogwarts, Harry must go before a council to win back his spot at the school. This sequence goes a long way towards setting up the best conflict of this go-around, that being the one between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry has been badmouthing Harry and his mentor for claiming the return of Voldemort, so they have been actively attempting to discredit the two, and for a little while it seems to be working.

A couple of new characters are introduced in The Order of the Phoenix, the best being Dolores Umbridge. She enters by way of the revolving door of Professor of the Defence Against the Dark Arts — if you are looking for trouble, this is the first teacher you should look for. She is, essentially, a tool for the Ministry to move into the school, where she employs all sorts of new rules. Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the woman is that of a sweet, but stubborn, woman who really needs a good smacking. I guarantee that by the end of the movie you will want to throttle her — she's terribly effective. The other character is a new student named Luna (Evanna Lynch); I'm not sure where they are going with her, but I found her to be a little bit creepy.

The Order of the Phoenix offers considerable growth in the title character. Gone are the big eyes and smiles of wonder, gone is the "magic" of youth, slowly being replaced with the moodiness of the teenage years. Harry is recognizing the real dangers around him, and he is becoming more of an adult, making decisions and hesitantly taking up a leadership role in the battle that is to come. It is interesting to think of the growth that he has attained over the course of five movies; to see it visualized is quite good. Daniel Radcliffe slips into character like a worn-in coat; he has been playing it so long that it cannot take long to get into that mindset and become this young man who seems to attract danger.

This film is a definite step up from its predecessor; it delivers on a story level that I did not find last time. The stakes are higher, and the darkness is growing. Is the film perfect? No, but it still delivers some excitement. The narrative felt a little choppy at times, but still better than last time, and there seemed to be more actual plot to this one. From the Dumbledore/Ministry conflict to the Harry/Voldemort conflict, to Harry stepping up as something of a leader and the way the friends stick together, there is some great chemistry and forward motion.

Director David Yates brings a stronger vision than Mike Newell did last time, and is more on par with Alfonso Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban. I am happy that he has been signed to direct the sixth film as well, so we will be able to see how his vision continues as the stakes continue to go higher.

This film also brought in a new screenwriter, Michael Goldenberg, replacing Steve Kloves, who had written all four of the prior films. He developed a nice script, for the most part, that really allowed the characters and their relationships to grow (except for the big kiss, which felt like a throwaway scene just for the fans). There is also a new composer in Nicholas Hooper, who has brought a nice touch to the film with a strong score that successfully builds the emotions throughout.

Bottom line. This is a good movie, not my favorite — that's still Prisoner of Azkaban, but this likely falls somewhere between the first and The Chamber of Secrets. The acting is all quite good (I loved everything featuring Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and Imelda Staunton). It was quite thrilling as the conclusion came around. Of course, I still have issues with the big stuff only happening during the school year in and around Hogwarts, but it is a conceit I think i can live with. Anyway, go see it, enjoy it, and look forward to the next one.

Recommended.

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about entertainment when he isn’t sitting in a movie theater. He is known around the office as the “Movie Guy” and is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Interests include science fiction, horror, and metal music. His writings can be found at Draven99’s Musings, as well as Film School Rejects.