Silver Chips Online

In June 2009, the world was riveted by the sudden passing of Michael Jackson. The record-breaking artist was just days from beginning his last curtain call with 50 concerts. Although the chance to experience his majesty has vanished, "This Is It" delivers the "man in the mirror" with all of Jackson’s magic.

Outside, the leaves are turning golden and floating to the ground, which means only one thing for films: it's Oscar time. That's right, the crop of films released at the end of the year – just in time for Academy Award consideration – has commenced and among the most buzzed-about is Lone Scherfig's "An Education," which hit nationwide release last Friday.

In the spirit of mischief and mayhem, SCO has watched and ranked three classic Halloween scary movies for spook-o-meter status. Most of them inspired lucrative Halloween franchises but all of them provide suspense, thrills and of course horror. So grab some candy corn, loosen up, invite some friends over and lock the door - these movies are sure to cause a fright.

Considering all the films this year, "Where the Wild Things Are" is arguably the most subjective film. Director Spike Jonze has crafted a film that some audience members will revere as an instant classic while others will decry as a wasted adaptation.

With a cast of comedy veterans, characters quirky enough to be in a Ben Stiller flick, and a setting that invites disaster to strike, "Couples Retreat" is poised to be a hilarious comedy. But the film, directed by Peter Billinglsey, and produced by Vince Vaughn, flip-flops between serious dialogue and absurd situations, leaving the audience confused, unattached and ready to leave the theater.

In an era where all that seems to thrive in cinematic features are teenage-vampire heartthrobs, alien-robotic cars, and spandex-wearing superheroes, a new genre that makes audience squeal and laugh must surface. The only fresh genre that can successfully do this is the zombie-comedy genre, originally sparked by the "Dawn of the Dead" parody and "Shaun of the Dead" but has since been left undone. "Zombieland" has staked territory and turned the spark from those frontrunner films into a raging fire.

In Director Jonathon Mostow's "Surrogates," 98 percent of humans live an immortal existence as remote controlled robots transmit the thrills and absorb the pain of physical life. Every aspect of Mostow's film is a dramatic portrayal of a world where people merge with robotic net-imbedded society. The result is a compelling yet entertaining science fiction plot with an aftertaste of unusual moral complexity.

Perhaps there have been too many films that merge a romantic comedy into a drama without substance. Yet beneath mediocre layers of love story in director Brandon Camp's "Love Happens" lies heart; the actors openly and truthfully address the reality of grief. A-list actors Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in this cheeky, bordering unoriginal film. Despite the familiar formulaic plot, the tender Eckhart engenders the grace to carry this uplifting narrative.

Charged with telling the curious story of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), an executive of chemical company ADM turned FBI informant, director Steven Soderbergh has crafted an exceptionally odd film. �The Informant!� feels more like an ill-humored but ironic 70s sitcom that manages to be a more effective look into Whitacre�s mind than a serious drama would have been.

Any day now, an animated motion picture filled with a talking monkey, spray on shoes, a vicious herd of rat-birds, and some seriously strange weather, will be falling out of the sky into a theater near you. In an attempt to remake a children's book for the big screen, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller successfully turn Judi Barrett's "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" into a delicious 3D animation film. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" leaves audiences of all ages with full stomachs and opened imaginations.