Allen Coulter’s new family drama/romance works pretty well for the most part and while it does nothing terribly new for the genre it is a solid and entertaining entry that avoids cheesiness at almost every turn.

The story’s protagonist is, Tyler, a 21 year old in a bit of a rut who doesn’t really care about anything right now in his life besides his younger sister.  His older brother committed suicide when he was 22 and Tyler’s approaching birthday is causing quite a bit of distress in his life as he wonders if said fate is awaiting him around the corner.  Enter Alyssa, a 21 year old student at the school Tyler’s roommate attends and that Tyler works at who also happens to have a cop for a dad that busted the two of them out on the town one night when they tried to break up a fight.  The two awkwardly dance around one another before quickly falling for one another with circumstances forcing them to be closer than they could have imagined.

The film isn’t just about Tyler and Alyssa though, Tyler’s relationship with his family, specifically his father and little sister get as much of the films focus as the romance.  In fact, the best parts of the movie are Tyler’s interactions with his sister Caroline who is an artistic prodigy that finds herself a bit of an outsider at school.  Tyler comes alive with her unlike anyone else and they are the emotional core that will pull you into the picture.  Tyler’s issues with his father is where most of the drama will be found in the picture and while it might be back loaded on to the picture it works as surprisingly well as the sister/brother stuff.

Another strong point for the film is that the romantic side of the picture is handled fairly realistically and avoids almost all cliché, besides the obligatory third act rift.  Robert Pattinson has plenty of charm and cute awkwardness to go around and he has a working chemistry with his co-star Emilie de Ravin.  Both show off that they can play more than their roles in Twilight and Lost, respectively, and it is nice to see both of these young actors getting a chance to do something different.  So don’t shy away from the picture if you think it is going to be a sappy Twilight romance for tweens, it is much more than that romantically and story wise in the picture.

The film is also helped by a pretty solid cast outside the two romantic leads.  Pierce Brosnan plays Tyler and Caroline’s tough nosed corporate father who doesn’t spend as much time in their lives, especially Caroline’s, as he should.  Pattinson and Brosnan do some great work together, the board room scene being the highlight, with Brosnan playing the part just right so as to not just be an all out villain of a father.  Chris Cooper plays de Ravin’s father and while he doesn’t have a whole lot to do, he is scary when he needs to be and delivers just as fine of work as you would expect from a great actor like him.  Ruby Jerins is also very good as Caroline and she shows some real promise as to being a child actor to keep an eye on.  The weak point of the cast is the character of Aidan played by Tate Ellington.  He has a couple of moments that work, but he finely walks the line of funny/annoying and too many times falls on the wrong side of that line.  Yeah the character was supposed to be that way, but he can be annoying in the film without annoying the viewer and he transcended that difference on too many occasions.

In the end, Remember Me is a solid family drama/romance that should have very few people complaining.  Not a chick flick in the slightest, the film is a nice look at family and the effects tragedy plays on our lives and figuring them out.  Full of good performances from just about everyone there isn’t a lot to complain about as Coulter’s film is fast paced and feels rather authentic.  I have heard some people cry serious foul about the ending of the film, and I won’t spoil it here, but I will say that people need to lighten up and realize that this story was true for far too many families and I didn’t have one problem with it.  With that said Remember Me is worth your time if you are looking for a solid drama that pleases even if it doesn’t blow you away.

Remember Me is a B

The latest adaptation from Chris Columbus is a huge step forward from his dismal last effort but for every good scene in this film there is a bad line or plot hole that levels the film out to just being an alright, mildly entertaining experience.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief is quite a long title but the film is the first adaptation from this fantasy series that has quite the following and is hoping to be the next big thing with kids. After watching the first film, I think it will connect quite well with younger audiences and even works for the older audience at times but anyone with a bit of common sense will have quite a lot to shake their head at as this film rushes through to the end.
Percy Jackson seems like just like any other high school kid, but what he doesn’t know is that he is actually the son of Poseidon and is in the middle of brewing war between the Greek gods that the blame firmly falls on young Percy’s shoulders. It is unfortunate that Percy doesn’t know this yet and before he knows it he is attacked by a number of evil beasts as he, his mother, and his recently revealed protector/ best friend comes out of hiding and leads them in flee to “the camp.” The party reaches the camp which houses and trains all of the half-man/half-gods to use their powers and Percy must train to head off on his quest to stop the impending war.
Now like I said early, the film flies along at a whips pace, is full of action beats, and rarely let’s up which keeps things moving along and stays interesting. The effects work in the film is also really fantastic, props to Trixter Film who are pretty new to the scene, and the adult supporting cast is great from top to bottom. But from these high points in the film come just as many low ones. The script is dumb down beyond belief with characters repeating obvious things to death just to make sure everyone gets what is going on; it is insulting. The three young leads are also a bit all over the place and while they have nice moments sprinkled through out, you will find yourself cringing at a look or delivery from time to time as well; no one is awful/no one is great. There are also just countless plot holes and conveniences in the film that will have you going, “really?” Also just a couple of logistic questions, Why are all the Greek gods British, why is Mt. Olympus connected to the Empire State Building, why is Hell in L.A., and finally why did they rip off Constantine for their interpretation of Hell? These are just a couple questions, I am sure I could come up with more.
The supporting cast is filled out with a long list of quality actors and they really help keep the film a float when it looks like the kids aren’t going to be able to handle it, they do their best work in Vegas. Kevin McKidd, Sean “The Man” Bean, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, and Uma Thurman are the big principles supporters and they all do fine work. Uma has the most screen time and fun out of them and I wish there was more of Bean, Coogan, Dawson, and McKidd to go around. Logan Lerman is admirable enough as Percy Jackson and his two side kicks in Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario outshine him just a hair, though if they do another I could see these guys growing into their roles and bring a bit more to the table.
In the end, Percy Jackson is a nice comeback for Chris Columbus after the atrocious “I Love You Beth Cooper” and he proves he still knows how to direct. While he didn’t knock it out of the park, this is a nice base to a potentially fun franchise, if successful, that I wouldn’t mind seeing where it goes. This film though does have some issues that hold back its high points and if they can iron out the scripts plot holes and not dumb them down there might be some more fun to be had here. As it stands, the Percy Jackson franchise is off to a decent enough start even if it doesn’t hold a candle to other established franchises it is trying to mirror.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a C+