SCREAM 4

Scream 4 stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin. Directed by Wes Craven. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 43 mins. Studio: Weinstein/Dimension.

Plot: Neve Campbell's Sidney returns to her hometown of Woodsboro on a press tour for her new book. Of course once she arrives a new killer surfaces attacking the teenagers of the town. The new killer is especially interested in Sidney's cousin Jill (Roberts) and her friends. Sidney teams with her old friends Dewey and Gale (Arquette and Cox) to find out who is the killer.

I was never a fan of the original Scream movies but for some reason I wanted to see this one because I thought if they are making a fourth movie 11 years later then they must have a great story. Well I was very wrong. There was absolutely no point for the movie. I guess the filmmaker's thought there was a point or they were just in need of a paycheck (Im guessing the latter).

The acting was okay although Arquette looked like he was on drugs or something. The biggest problem was the story. It felt rushed and sloppily put together. The entire movie was people getting stabbed in the same boring repetitive motion and not once was I on the edge of my seat. Though the opening sequences were quite funny and at least the Scream franchise knows how to make fun of it self. But unfortunately they can't make a good movie anymore. Once the big twist happens I was laughing out loud but not in a good way. I found the twist so unbelievable and at that moment all credibility flew out the window. I won't give it away for those who for some reason still wish to see the movie but it is very laughable.

Scream 4 was funny at times but it just had an awful laughable story line. I don't why the filmmaker's thought that this was a good idea especially since the last Scream movie came out 11 years ago. Heres to hoping that the studio does not crank out a Scream 5 that was planned. Luckily it most likely won't happen since Scream 4 bombed at the box office last weekend.

D+

ARTHUR (2011)

Arthur stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig and Jennifer Garner. Directed by Jason Winer. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hour and 50 mins. Studio: Warner Bros.

Arthur (Brand) is a rich, lazy man-child who is always getting into trouble in New York City. He always has his reliable nanny Hobson (Mirren) to bail him out. After his latest crazy antics his mother is sick of it and offers him a deal: marry a woman he hates (Garner) but whom his mother adores or he will lose all of his money. Things get complicated when he begins to fall for free spirited Naomi (Gerwig). Boy we have never heard of this plot before.........

I ask for one thing from a comedy: just make me laugh. Thats all I ask, but Arthur failed in that category. Russell Brand is doing his usual shtick but its not as funny as in Forgetting Sarah Marshall or Get Him to the Greek because he is being toned down into a PG-13 comedy. I believe I chuckled one and a half times. Yeah it was that bad. Brand just came off as annoying and he was spitting out his dialogue sounding like a 50 year old British woman. Jennifer Garner was also very annoying and not funny.

The only two decent parts of the movie were Helen Mirren and Greta Gerwig. Mirren was delightful as the woman who basically raised Arthur and there were some touching scenes with her. Gerwig was also sweet and cute as the free spirited woman who catches Arthur's eye.

Other than those two actresses Arthur fails big time as a comedy. Its a shame that hollywood keeps remaking movies and can't even summon up an original idea for a comedy. Arthur is a sad excuse for a comedy.

D+