Reel Critics:

Once again, Tim Burton lovers dare to enter the twisted and beautiful world full of creations from the brilliant mind that brought you such films as “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The ominous backdrop of “9,” which Burton produced, inspires a childish curiosity that pushes the animated film into another genre altogether.

It is a revitalizing film that can bring anyone back into the forgotten imaginations of childhood.

The dark and forsaken feel of the movie and PG-13 rating prove that this animated film is not just for the kiddies, but it still gets the moral message across and keeps audience’s attention in the short 79 minutes.

In “9,” the last traces of humanity face the evil creations of a beastly machine that has been corrupted by the greedy intentions of bloodthirsty men long gone in a post-apocalyptic world.

Nine characters, brought to life with an unknown purpose, try to find meaning in their existence by banding together in a struggle for survival and preservation of the last hints of life.

It’s impossible not to feel empathy for the innocent and unlikely heroes donned in potato sacks that appear as if they could have come from the popular video game “Little Big Planet.”

The otherworldly creations born from the imagination of director and writer Shane Acker courageously fight to save their home against impossible odds in the desolate remains of what was once mankind’s world.

Going through the film is the lesson that destruction is a necessary evil toward a better good.

Along the way, tales of sacrifice, loss and hope, and thrilling action sequences come together for an entertaining film sure to please moviegoers of all ages.

Skyler Blair

Losing game in ‘Tron’-like remix

Even X-Box addicts may find “Gamer” perfectly dreadful.

At a mercifully brief 95 minutes, this futuristic story about real-life video games, with humans controlling other humans, is so incoherent that I was bored after about five minutes. My mind wandered to the tune of bone-crunching slugfests and deafening explosions. It gave me time to pause and reflect on life’s really big questions: What to have for dinner, what’s on TV tonight?

Insanely grimacing convicts are pawns in an interactive sport dreamed up by Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall), who’s like Bill Gates on crack. If the game warrior wins 30 games, he also wins his freedom.

The leading scorer is Kable (master thespian Gerard Butler), whose sweat-stained scowl towers onscreen amid disturbing images and chair-rattling mayhem. In a mix of “Gladiator” and “TRON,” Kable hopes to find his wife and daughter once he’s on the outside. But Kable is a mere puppet controlled by a teenage geek trying to capitalize on his 15 minutes of tame.

Not until the last half hour does the movie even start to make sense. Save for a surreal but amusing scene of Hall lip-synching to Sammy Davis Jr., “Gamer” is just plain techno-trash.

‘Office Space’ but for mid-life marriage

Director Mike Judge first made his presence known in Hollywood with the unexpected success of “Office Space” in 1999. It was a quirky look at white collar business and life in the company cubicle for several nerds.

They try to overcome the adversity of incompetent supervisors and conflicting demands on their time. The story unfolds with good humor and a measure of insightful sarcasm.

In “Extract” Judge transfers this same theme to a quirky look at marriage. Jason Bateman plays a mid-life married man who works long hours running the family business making food flavorings. Every day he must deal with disgruntled workers on the job and an unhappy relationship with his wife at home. A painfully annoying neighbor aggravates his life on a daily basis.

Ben Affleck plays his flaky bartender buddy who gives him questionable advice at every turn. A stunning young woman of low moral character enters the picture. Under the influence of drugs and bad judgment, several strange events unfold. Viewers will see some echoes of the Coen Brothers’ films in the strange twists and turns in this plot. But the shocks are mild and the laughs are mostly mainstream for R-rated comedy fare these days. Overall it’s a lightweight effort that’s amusing but can wait for the video.