Local critics far apart on 'Alex Cross'; crossed by 4th 'Paranormal Activity'

By Tim Lammers

Prolific indie film hitmaker Tyler Perry of "Madea" fame crosses over into the mainstream with "Alex Cross," and local critics' opinions about the cat-and-mouse detective thriller are widely scattered.

The origins movie is based on the main character in the series of bestsellers by author James Patterson.

Chris Hewitt of the Pioneer Press wrote a favorable review of the film, which stars Perry in the title role as a Detroit police psychologist on the trail of a sadistic killer (Matthew Fox) behind a mysterious string of murders.

While Hewitt calls the script "cluttered," he praises Perry and Fox and the "quiet authority" they bring to their roles.

The Star Tribune's Colin Covert, on the other hand, has nothing good to say about "Alex Cross," calling it an "overwrought, oppressively violent police thriller" which doesn't have an "original bone in its empty little head."

See the trailer for "Alex Cross" below.

While Covert gave a "Alex Cross" a half-star out of four, he apparently didn't feel nearly as crossed by the film as Hewitt clearly was by "Paranormal Activity 4."

In his zero-star review of the film, Hewitt said the poltergeist plot of "Paranormal Activity 4" is getting so old that even the "filmmakers are getting tired of it." He was especially miffed that the film did little if anything to move the franchise's plot along.

See the trailer for "Paranormal Activity 4" below.

Bring Me The News news curator Tim Lammers is also a nationally-syndicated movie journalist whose work appears on more than 50 TV affiliate web sites in the U.S. Tim has interviewed more than 1,000 major actors and filmmakers throughout his career, and locally, he reviews films on KARE 11 News at 11 and WCCO Radio. Tim's work is also featured on his website, StrictlyCinema.com.