Greek, Splice, Marmaduke, Killers: Movie Review Roundup

Hollywood is releasing four very different flicks this weekend. There's "Get Him to the Greek," a raunchy comedy starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. For horror fans, "Splice," feauturing Oscar winner Adrien Brody, may provide some gory thrills. Families with young kids and a high threshold for pain can take a chance on "Marmaduke." And, finally, there's "Killers" with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. "Killers" wasn't screened for critics (Achtung!), but the others have been seen, judged, and written about. Here's a quick rundown...

Get Him to the Greek
A low-level record industry employee is told to ensure that an out-of-control rock star makes it from Europe to Los Angeles for a concert at the Greek Theater. Chaos and debauchery ensue. This isn't the kind of movie critics normally go for, but "Get Him to the Greek" is neverthless generating positive reviews. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly calls the movie a "clever rock-world satire," but notes that it does drag on a bit too long. Still, the good far outweighs the bad. Mr. Gleiberman's grade: "B."

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gives the movie three stars out of four and compared it to last year's big R-rated comedy, "The Hangover." Mr. Ebert writes, "The movie is funny in the way of 'The Hangover' about what trouble lads can get into when their senses are whirling." He also writes that parts of the movie that deal with the friendship between the uptight employee and the wild rocker is "surprisingly sweet." Online critic James Berardinelli writes that the buddy comedy is "the funniest hard-R comedy since 'The Hangover.'"

The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips calls the movie "extremely raunchy," but also "very funny." Mr. Phillips goes on to say that "Greek" isn't "heinously slick and calculating" like 'The Hangover." To him, the film "actually feels a bit personal" not unlike "Almost Famous." The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen was less enchanted, calling the movie "wildly uneven."

Splice
"Splice," a horror flick about what happens when genetic engineers get too ambitious (spoiler alert: bad things), is earning surprisingly strong marks from critics. Roger Ebert gives the movie three out of four stars and praises its stars, Brody and Sarah Polly. The critic would have liked to have known more about the alien-like creature ("What does she think? What does she feel?"), but "all the same, it's well done and intriguing."

Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum liked the film even more, giving it an "A-." She calls the film "cheeky, great-looking, (and) thoughtfully loopy." And the creature effects? Ms. Schwarzbaum calls them "outstanding" and notes that they "get more astonishing" as the film progresses. Michael Phillips also dug the action, calling "Splice" "eccentric and crafty."

The Boston Globe's Wesley Morris also liked what he say, cutting "Splice" a three star review. "Even the mad-scientist and I-created-a-monster cliches are contorted satisfyingly enough."

James Berardinelli was less impressed by the sci-fi carnage. He gives the "hit and miss" flick two and a half stars out of four. The film has some "rich, compelling material," however director Vincenzo Natali ("Cube") is too "scattershot in his approach to his subject matter."

Also opening this weekend...
He's not on the comic strip A-list like Snoopy or Garfield, but Marmaduke the dog has been awarded with his own live action film (featuring the voice of Owen Wilson). Is it worth seeing? In an entertaining review, Ebert gives the movie a modest two stars out of four, and warns that Great Danes "are not gifted comedians." Matt Pais of Chicago Metromix was less enthused. "No animals were used, and no humans were entertained in the making of this movie," he writes. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe is even more brutal, writing "this movie hates your family."

Finally, as mentioned, "Killers," a comedic action film about a married couple who become the target of killers, wasn't screened for critics. But on Friday, you'll be able to watch the first 13 minutes online. Sometimes a few minutes of Ashton Kutcher can go a long way.

Source: Yahoo