The-Burg.com - Central Virgina's Arts, Culture and Entertainment Weekly

“The Last Exorcism” is one of the scariest movies to come along in a long time — until the last five minutes or so, when it completely falls apart.

Mere words cannot describe how awesomely gnarly “Piranha 3D” is, how hugely entertaining, and how urgently you must get yourself to the theater to see it. Like, now.

This is not a joke, by the way. This movie is a complete blast. To borrow a phrase from the kind of B-horror flicks to which “Piranha 3D” is such a loving and effective homage: Run, don’t walk.

We know we’re in for a different kind of family values early in “Animal Kingdom” — right off the top, actually — as we watch a teenager sitting next to his passed-out mother on the couch while some inane game show blares on the television in the background.

You’ll probably want to take a shower after watching “Middle Men,” just to wash all the “ick” off yourself. And that’s a compliment.

San Diego’s annual pop-culture convention wrapped up Sunday after four days of comic books, costumes, celebrity appearances and TV and movie previews.

With “Life During Wartime,” Todd Solondz revisits his characters from 1998’s “Happiness,” but he doesn’t reveal much that’s new about them — or his world view.

Driving home from a screening of “Inception” the other night, my husband said to me, “I don’t know how you’re going to write about this movie.”

“What, you mean without giving anything away?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “I don’t know how you’re going to explain what it’s about.”

Well, yes. There is that, too.

The little “s” in “Predators” winkingly promises more beasts in the latest sequel to John McTiernan’s 1987 original (and singular) “Predator.”

The subtle ploy worked for “Aliens,” and one wonders if a simple twist of plurality would entice as well in follow-ups such as “Taxi Drivers” or “The Apartments.”

Helen Mirren playing a Madame is such fitting casting that it’s almost too much. For an actress who has made sexuality her life’s subtext, it’s as winking as Clint Eastwood playing a gun salesman or Dustin Hoffman a pool cleaner.