(2011, Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh brings his now reliable visual and editorial style to bear on this story of a viral outbreak and the effects on society, individuals and first responders. This movie is entertaining if a bit simplistic. Some really nice moments, some really nice shots, and some decent acting. I especially liked Jennifer Ehle's performance as Dr. Hextall. Enrico Colantoni, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Elliot Gould, Bryan Cranston, Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, John Hawkes, and Gwyneth Paltrow all add character to this film. Decent. (5/7)
Trailer
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Drive
(2011, Nicholas Winding Refn)
Ryan Gosling stars with Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan in this story of a stunt car driver who moonlights as a criminal wheelman. This is a solid film. I liked Refn's Valhalla Rising (2009) and this film has an engaging style and some gritty, visceral violence and action that evokes Sam Peckinpah. Great supporting cast with plenty of actors drawn from cable television's "A-list" (Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston). Some tender moments and believable tension make this a must see. Interesting soundtrack choices too which echo the early eighties and a Michael Mann-esque, Miami Vice-like sensibility. (6/7) See it.
Trailer
Ryan Gosling stars with Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan in this story of a stunt car driver who moonlights as a criminal wheelman. This is a solid film. I liked Refn's Valhalla Rising (2009) and this film has an engaging style and some gritty, visceral violence and action that evokes Sam Peckinpah. Great supporting cast with plenty of actors drawn from cable television's "A-list" (Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston). Some tender moments and believable tension make this a must see. Interesting soundtrack choices too which echo the early eighties and a Michael Mann-esque, Miami Vice-like sensibility. (6/7) See it.
Trailer
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Eagle (DVD)
(2011, Kevin MacDonald)
First I want to openly condemn Netflix for being the slaves of the media cartels. Renting "rental" movies (sans special features) is against American freedom! Having said that I watched the Eagle with Channing Tatum as Roman Centurion Marcus Aquila and Jamie Bell as his Briton slave Eska as they journey north of Hadrian's Wall to restore honor to the Aquila name by recovering a gold eagle standard lost by Aquila's father. This film has some nice epic backdrops, good use of dialects (wrong dialects of course but dialects at least!), and some good music. Appearances by Mark Strong and Donald Sutherland don't hurt either. Tahar Rahim is good as the bad guy. This is a fairly decent representation of 1st Century A.D. Roman life in the hinterlands, although as with all things Hollywood, a scholar will find plenty to cry about. Not bad. Apparently loosely based on some novel or other.(5/7)
Trailer
First I want to openly condemn Netflix for being the slaves of the media cartels. Renting "rental" movies (sans special features) is against American freedom! Having said that I watched the Eagle with Channing Tatum as Roman Centurion Marcus Aquila and Jamie Bell as his Briton slave Eska as they journey north of Hadrian's Wall to restore honor to the Aquila name by recovering a gold eagle standard lost by Aquila's father. This film has some nice epic backdrops, good use of dialects (wrong dialects of course but dialects at least!), and some good music. Appearances by Mark Strong and Donald Sutherland don't hurt either. Tahar Rahim is good as the bad guy. This is a fairly decent representation of 1st Century A.D. Roman life in the hinterlands, although as with all things Hollywood, a scholar will find plenty to cry about. Not bad. Apparently loosely based on some novel or other.(5/7)
Trailer
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Adjustment Bureau (DVD)
(2011, George Nolfi)
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in this tale inspired (one supposes) by Phillip K. Dick's "Adjustment Team." In reality it has virtually nothing to do with the story except for the idea that human fates are sometimes affected and guided by a bureaucracy of human-like entities which work behind the scenes and whose existence is revealed to the main character. Despite the fact that this is yet another Dick story that is horribly maimed for Hollywood, this movie works. Matt Damon is believable as a New York political up and comer and Emily Blunt is incredibly charming as his modern dancer love interest. This is a story of loving "against the plan," of fighting for love and belief against all odds, and taking a stand for the self. Anthony Mackie is vastly under noticed and he is great as the angelic Harry Mitchell who is an Adjuster with a conscience. Terrance Stamp is always good, and the producers and director managed to get some heavy hitters (John Stewart, Michael Bloomberg) to whore for Hollywood and make this movie reasonably realistic. John Slattery always looks good in a period suit and hat. Double Punchy notes and Emily Blunt make this film a win on DVD. (6/7)
Trailer
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt star in this tale inspired (one supposes) by Phillip K. Dick's "Adjustment Team." In reality it has virtually nothing to do with the story except for the idea that human fates are sometimes affected and guided by a bureaucracy of human-like entities which work behind the scenes and whose existence is revealed to the main character. Despite the fact that this is yet another Dick story that is horribly maimed for Hollywood, this movie works. Matt Damon is believable as a New York political up and comer and Emily Blunt is incredibly charming as his modern dancer love interest. This is a story of loving "against the plan," of fighting for love and belief against all odds, and taking a stand for the self. Anthony Mackie is vastly under noticed and he is great as the angelic Harry Mitchell who is an Adjuster with a conscience. Terrance Stamp is always good, and the producers and director managed to get some heavy hitters (John Stewart, Michael Bloomberg) to whore for Hollywood and make this movie reasonably realistic. John Slattery always looks good in a period suit and hat. Double Punchy notes and Emily Blunt make this film a win on DVD. (6/7)
Trailer
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Colombiana
(2011, Olivier Megaton)
Luc Besson acolyte Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3) is a capable action film director. Sadly the Robert Mark Kamen/ Luc Besson script feels like it wishes it were as perfect as Luc Besson's 1994 magnum opus Léon: The Professional. Zoe Saldana is cast as Cataleya (named for, I guess, the orchid Cattleya which neither sounds like nor is spelled like Cataleya as a google search will reveal).
Her assassin(?) parents are killed when she is little and she vows revenge. She utilmately comes to America through weak plot contrivances and works for 15 years to become an assassin so she can take her revenge on a Colombian drug lord.
Maori Badass, Cliff "I'm from New Zealand" Curtis, plays Zoe Saldana's uncle who takes her in and teaches her how to kill. Full of crisp action and a nice finale this movie does a few things right (a very few). Zoe Saldana is one of those few things. She is a very capable physical actress and she was not afraid of a bit of nudity. I always liked Michael Vartan and he is appropriate as Zoe Saldana's love interest. I like the multiculturalism of this film, I like the female lead, I like that she is black, and a latina. The world needs more action heroines like this (hopefully paired with more original stories). Luc Besson is still one of the few producers/ directors that can really bring the essential sexiness and action of French comics to the screen without actually adapting any particular comic title and Colombiana feels like a comic. Sadly I wish it had been done better. (5/7)
Trailer
Luc Besson acolyte Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3) is a capable action film director. Sadly the Robert Mark Kamen/ Luc Besson script feels like it wishes it were as perfect as Luc Besson's 1994 magnum opus Léon: The Professional. Zoe Saldana is cast as Cataleya (named for, I guess, the orchid Cattleya which neither sounds like nor is spelled like Cataleya as a google search will reveal).
Her assassin(?) parents are killed when she is little and she vows revenge. She utilmately comes to America through weak plot contrivances and works for 15 years to become an assassin so she can take her revenge on a Colombian drug lord.
Maori Badass, Cliff "I'm from New Zealand" Curtis, plays Zoe Saldana's uncle who takes her in and teaches her how to kill. Full of crisp action and a nice finale this movie does a few things right (a very few). Zoe Saldana is one of those few things. She is a very capable physical actress and she was not afraid of a bit of nudity. I always liked Michael Vartan and he is appropriate as Zoe Saldana's love interest. I like the multiculturalism of this film, I like the female lead, I like that she is black, and a latina. The world needs more action heroines like this (hopefully paired with more original stories). Luc Besson is still one of the few producers/ directors that can really bring the essential sexiness and action of French comics to the screen without actually adapting any particular comic title and Colombiana feels like a comic. Sadly I wish it had been done better. (5/7)
Trailer
Conan the Barbarian
(2011, Marcus Nispel)
So what is there to say? Jason Momoa as Conan, with appropriate levels of sexiness, nudity, and violence. Sadly this film lacks the resonance and brilliant character actors of the John Milius original (1982). There are plenty of R.E. Howard-esque moments and Frazetta-like scenery and landscapes but this movie has a dull story and is poorly plotted with a number of very weak edit points and CG. Having once sat on a plane with Sandahl Bergman when I was 8 years old, and considering I think Gerry Lopez is a god, the Milius film will be definitive for me for some time.
Stephen Lang is awesome as a bad guy. I like Said Taghmaoui but he was totally under-utilized. Rachel Nichols is cute and capable and Ron Perlman is the most epic looking barbarian father ever. Rose McGowan is well cast as an evil witch but she seemed wooden or maybe it was just the wooden script. This film at 70 mil. felt made for cable. I will give Jason Momoa this: he has a barbaric backside. Morgan Freeman narration and beautiful Bulgarian backdrops could not save this movie. (5/7)
Trailer
Is it pronounced: KO-NAHN or KONEN?
Go here for more about Texas author and Conan creator, Robert E. Howard
So what is there to say? Jason Momoa as Conan, with appropriate levels of sexiness, nudity, and violence. Sadly this film lacks the resonance and brilliant character actors of the John Milius original (1982). There are plenty of R.E. Howard-esque moments and Frazetta-like scenery and landscapes but this movie has a dull story and is poorly plotted with a number of very weak edit points and CG. Having once sat on a plane with Sandahl Bergman when I was 8 years old, and considering I think Gerry Lopez is a god, the Milius film will be definitive for me for some time.
Stephen Lang is awesome as a bad guy. I like Said Taghmaoui but he was totally under-utilized. Rachel Nichols is cute and capable and Ron Perlman is the most epic looking barbarian father ever. Rose McGowan is well cast as an evil witch but she seemed wooden or maybe it was just the wooden script. This film at 70 mil. felt made for cable. I will give Jason Momoa this: he has a barbaric backside. Morgan Freeman narration and beautiful Bulgarian backdrops could not save this movie. (5/7)
Trailer
Is it pronounced: KO-NAHN or KONEN?
Go here for more about Texas author and Conan creator, Robert E. Howard
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
(2011, Michael Rapaport)
This is a solid documentary about the varied and interesting story that is a Tribe Called Quest. Interviews with tons of hip hop heavy hitters. If you like TCQ or the history of rap music-- watch this. I remember these days. . . ah the olden times. (6/7)
Trailer
This is a solid documentary about the varied and interesting story that is a Tribe Called Quest. Interviews with tons of hip hop heavy hitters. If you like TCQ or the history of rap music-- watch this. I remember these days. . . ah the olden times. (6/7)
Trailer
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