THE BROTHERS GRIMM The Brothers Grimm, starring Heath ledger and Matt Damon, is about two brothers ( The Brothers Grimm, who would have written the original fairy tales ) who con medieval villagers out of their hard earned gold pretending to vanquish local supernatural forces. Until they come across a bona fide Witch ( played by Monica Bellucci ). It's directed by Terry Gilliam, who's always had a very interesting, albeit twisted, view in cinema. The imagery is as visually interesting as one would expect from a Gilliam film and the story was fun. But somehow, the movie felt patched together. This could be because it suffered production hell with many stops and starts during the process. It seems to skip from one place to the next quite quickly at time. Still, the rapport between the characters was good, and there are some good humorous moments as well. Not my favorite Terry Gilliam film, but still worth the watch. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE What happens when you find out the one you live with isn't exactly what you thought he was? This is the psychological premise of this latest David Cronenberg film. Viggo Mortensen plays a simple small town family man. But when two thugs walk into the diner he works at, we discover something else about him. Although the film takes a more mainstream route than many other Cronenberg films of the past. It's not any less enthralling and he proves that even what seems mainstream can be horrific and suspenseful. For those wary of gore, there is some when his show of aggression leaves people dead, but it did not seem in any way gratuitous. This movie was truly good till the end . . . at which point . . . well let's just say it ended sort of awkwardly. THE CORPSE BRIDE There are few words needed other than Magical, Enchanting and Imaginative. Tim Burton returns to a genre he helped create a cult following out of over 10 years ago when he and Henry Selick collaborated on the Nightmare Before Christmas. In this tale young Victor is betrothed to Victoria for a marriage that will benefit the parents of both families. However, in a desperate attempt to practice his vows in the woods, Victor accidentally marries a victim of foul play whose corpse had been laying in the ground nearby. Morbid as it may sound, the movie takes a cue from the Mexican day of the dead which puts whimsy and colour to the afterlife in a musical and witty show of stop motion animated brilliance. Fans of A Nightmare Before Christmas may find that this movie doesn't outdo it, but it is a worthy addition. Stephane Morrell Laurier CIM Group MCSE,CCA -Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

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