Reviews by Matt

This past semester, as many of you know, I was the entertainment editor for the school paper. I went to at least one movie a week in order to insure that I could fill the two pages required by my new position. I had a “movie buddy” who would, without fail see any movie with me. Last weekend there was no need for me to go see a movie. I saw two. The first movie will be reviewed later; this is about the second one I saw on my first weekend off.

I had not planned on seeing two movies that weekend, but when I was asked to help my friend, Matt, out by going to a movie with him, I was happy to return the favor. Even if it was a movie I did not really want to see.

“Awake” is about the phenomena of “anesthetic awareness” where someone under anesthesia is fully aware of everything going on. Clay Beresford (Hayden Christiansen) is one of those people. He is completely paralyzed and he cannot alert the doctors to it.

But before we get to that we have to find out that he is a young successful businessman who is in love with a beautiful woman Sam (Jessica Alba). His life is great except for one thing, he has some kind of heart condition that requires him to have a heart transplant. Finally one day he gets the heart he has been waiting for and soon goes into surgery.

Now back to the awake during surgery thing. He hears that his doctors have a plan to kill him and that is new wife is in on it.

I know that no one reading this is going to see it, but I still cannot reveal the ending, I have a feeling that there is something about journalistic ethics involved.

Overall, it was an intriguing movie, but not enough to hold my attention for very long. The acting was bland, the story was mildly interesting and it was not as suspenseful as it tried to be.

Christiansen, known for playing Ankin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the last two “Star Wars” prequels, showed me that it was the bad writing by George Lucas that made him seem so bland. The acting is a little better in “Awake,” but not by much. He still shows the emotional rage of a potato, but at least the writing was better this time.

For being a former Oscar nominee and an actor who picks really good roles, Terrence Howard was disappointing in the role of Dr. Jack Harper. Harper has been sued for malpractice at least five times and he decided to set this entire thing up to help him get out of financial trouble. He is desperate and will even kill a supposed friend to make his life easier.

I had absolutely no intention of seeing this movie. Ever. I owed Matt big time. He was the one guy I could get to go to a movie every weekend. The upside is I did not hate this movie. I enjoyed myself, but it is not a movie I ever need to see again.

5 out of 10
Rated R for language, an intense disturbing situation, and brief drug use.
84 min