Real Movie Review-Movie Reviews, Movie Quotes, Movie Trivia

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh, Oscar Isaac, Ali Suliman

DiCaprio continues his trend of working with the biggest names in Tinseltown, as he teams up with Russell Crowe in this gritty 21st century spy nail biter. Di Caprio is steady, but unremarkable, while Crowe shines as one of the worst bosses in film history. Crowe always manages to find different ways to portray characters that seem, on the surface, to be similar to his past selections, and its always impressive to watch. Add directing master, Ridley Scott to the mix, and all the ingredients are present to make a film that is actually worth the ten bucks they charge for it.

Leonardo is Roger Ferris, a smart, fearless hands-on kind of modern spy who is after a terrorist leader named Al-Saleem with the shadowy help of Jordanian intelligence leader, Hani (Mark Strong), and the dubious support of his manipulative boss, Ed Hoffman, who is half soccer Dad and half sociopath (Russell Crowe). There is an unconvincing Hollywood-style romance tacked on with the usual style and results, but the dark story is still engaging and is sprinkled with authentic action scenes.

Body of Lies is an appealing blend of films like Traitor, Spy Games, Syriana and Enemy of the State, that mixes a good story with a not so subtle message about the weaknesses of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East with striking visuals and high quality production. If tricky espionage action is palatable to you, then don’t miss this one.

Director: Ethan and Joel Coen

Starring: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons

The Coen brothers who do everything on their films but the catering, have snap fired from the hip with this light, quick comedy that is more about characters and performances than it is about story and dialog, but what a great group of characters played to the hilt by a crew of seasoned performers who were clearly had alot of fun making this movie. I still find Tilda Swinton to lack charisma to truly fit into the star role, while J.K. Simmons (best known as Juno’s dad and Peter Parker’s boss) impresses me every time I see him.

John Malkovich is a disgruntled CIA guy whose memoir notes end up in the hands of a goofy fitness worker and his sad, pathetic co-worker (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand), who come up with the world’s worst blackmail plan. This is backed up by George Clooney as a treasury department officer with more testosterone than brains. For a film that seems to be set up as a comedy, it turns a little slow and depressing in spots, and could have benefitted from some more zippy dialog. The end result is an uneven but entertaining look at fidelity and intelligence and a group of characters who lack both. The whole thing ends strongly and has one of the funniest final scenes in recent memory.

Don’t go to Burn After Reading and expect Fargo or No Country For Old men. This feature is closer to The Big Lebowski or O’ Brother Where Art Thou, though is distinctly different from their previous efforts. Not a bad film for fans of off-beat comedies, or the Coen brothers body of work.

Director: Roger Donaldson

Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Michael Jibson, Richard Lintern

Director Roger Donaldson is on a roll. His last three films, The World’s Fastest Indian, The Recruit, and Thirteen Days, have all been fine efforts, but all are outdone by this captivating, true story of a 1970s bank robbery, where pulling off the caper was only the beginning of the robber’s challenges. The cool script moves at a brisk clip that swiftly ramps up the tension, and keeps it up the RPMs, all the way. Not all of the subplots seemed necessary and, although the dialog is sound, a few more slick quotable lines would have made this fine film even stronger.

Jason Statham (Snatch, Transporter series) must have been wondering what happened to the requisite scene where he leaps through the air in slow-motion with two pistols blazing. All of his projects since Snatch seem to find a way to fit that in. This isn’t that kind of film. Statham is Terry, owner of an unsuccessful car lot, with a shady background and the kind of debt that isn’t settled by declaring bankruptcy. An answer appears in the form of an old flame, Martine, who shows up with info and an offer of a lucrative robbery. What she fails to mention, is that she’s been recruited by black-op government types to get a hold of royal sex photos that are being used by a criminal as a stay out of jail free card. Terry puts together a team and this ambitious plan gets more complicated and dangerous as it goes on. And this is true? So they say. If there is a book about this (I looked. I couldn’t find one), I want to read it.

Today, sex photos of a prominent royal would likely lead to little more than a flurry of internet activity and a tearful apology. What a difference a quarter century makes! In the 1970s, the British government would apparently stop at nothing to keep those photos from becoming a front page scoop. The Bank Job is a jaw-dropping true story with top notch direction, and strong performances, that held me riveted to the end. If you loved films like Heat and Inside Man, then this is your first must-see motion picture of 2008.

Director: Michael Gondry

Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz,

Writer/ director Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is back with a so-so effort in this slow moving and one gag film. Jack Black is here, firing out all he can, but he runs out of zingers before Gondry runs out of film. The off-beat, story is far-fetched, even for a comedy, but did eventually draw me in a little, causing me to pull back, just a little, on the flame thrower that I was going to take to this one.

Mos Def is Mike, an earnest employee of a VHS tape only, rental store in a rundown building with a history, according to his boss, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover). Business is about as bad as you would expect in a 21st century video store with no DVDs, so Fletcher leaves Mike in charge, while he goes on a trip to think things over. Unfortunately for Mike, his anarchist friend, Jerry (Jack Black), has somehow managed to magnetize himself by wrapping himself in tin foil (don’t ask), and erases every tape in the store just by being there. Desperate to not look bad his first time in charge, Mike and Jerry start filming quickie versions of prominent older films that make The Blair Witch Project look like a Martin Scorsese masterpiece. Nevertheless, in the true Hollywood fashion, these catch on and the guys set out to make more “sweded” classics, but I got tired of these gags about the low rent copies of film classics before their seemingly desperately bored neighborhood did.

Love it or hate it, this one already has the markings of an offbeat cult favorite for Jack Black fans, amateur movie makers (or copiers) and those who really think that less is more. I can’t recommend it to you, but someone probably will.

Director: Rob Reiner

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd

You would think that Rob Reiner’s motion picture about the unlikely friendship of two dying men from completely different lives would be morose, and that some dialog would be lost to the sounds of sniffling behind you, but you would be wrong. There are some emotional moments in the film, but Reiner keeps the pace brisk and moves quickly past these scenes. He uses bright daytime settings which further reduces the morose impact of the film’s sadder moments, which are quickly followed by more upbeat scenes. So while The Bucket List is not as sad as you would think it would be, it is also funnier than you would expect as well. Justin Zackham’s screenplay is sprinkled with some pretty good dialog, that is given flawless delivery and perfect timing by master performers, Freeman and Nicholson. The story is good, but at only 90 minutes, I felt that it could have been developed some more.

Jack Nicholson is Edward Cole, a sarcastic and mannerless billionaire, who collects hospitals like they are hotels in Monopoly, but feels differently when health issues land him in one of his own hospital beds. Thanks to his own policy of two patients per room, no exceptions, Mr. Cole has a roommate. Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) is an affable family man, and a working man with an uncanny trivia talent, who quietly feels that circumstances have robbed him of opportunity in life. The two men form an unlikely bond due to their circumstances, and when both find that they have less than a year to live, they take Carter’s list of things to do before he dies, and run with it. Soon the two men are on a whirlwind, global adventure, over the objections of Carter’s wife, Virginia (Beverly Todd).

Both Freeman and Nicholson are great here and there are some laughs as well. Worth seeing for drama fans and those who just love to watch Jack in action. Imagine a white, geriatric version of Thelma and Louise or Last Holiday, and you will have some idea of what to expect.

Director: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Scott Glen, Albert Finney

Bourne is back and in a far better film than number two. Paul Greengrass returns as director despite a disappointing effort in the last sequel, but is more effective this time out. The pace is still non-stop frantic and the movie may have been better served by letting the action slow down from time to time, as they did in the first Bourne. Greengrass’ action camera work still gets in too tight and the hand held camera is over used. Though this is not as distracting as it was in The Bourne Supremacy, it still detracts from many of the action scenes. But enough of the negative. The action here is good and the story is peppered with the high tech, Big-Brother-is-watching kind of surveillance and inter-agency intrigue that we have come to expect from the Bourne franchise, created by espionage writer, Robert Ludlum. Damon slips easily back into his familiar role and is even better in the action scenes. The story that doesn’t always make perfect sense, but it sure is exciting!

This time out, Bourne is once again the target of those in the agency who don’t feel safe with him out there. I wonder if they ever feel safe? Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) is back in the control room, along with Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) and Bourne is not their only problem. There is also a treasonous insider who is spilling agency dirty secrets to the media, so the team has a lot to look for. All of this is tied to Bourne and the hunt is on. Look for the veteran star, Albert Finney stealing practically every scene he has, in the small role of Bourne’s initial trainer.

I have to admit that I was so soured by The Bourne Supremacy that I was not sure what to expect from this film. I was pleasantly surprised. While still not quite at the level of the first in the series, this is a very good action movie that will please fans of the series and action lovers, in general. It gets three and one half stars from me.

Director: Sidney Lumet

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney.

Sidney Lumet is known for skillfully injecting atmosphere and mood into his films and this dark drama is no exception. He has a strong cast to work with and they do a fine job with a screenplay that is guaranteed to make you pretty uncomfortable as some really sleazy characters set out on a disturbing plan. The pace is slow and the story unfolds by jumping back and forth in time, which can be a little annoying, but holds the audience in suspense and keeps the interest level up. The dark subject matter, and hopelessly amoral characters, will not appeal to everyone, but there can be little debate that this is a well-crafted, and strongly performed feature. When was the last time Philip Seymour Hoffman gave a bad performance? Can you think of one? I can’t.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy, a successful white collar worker who finds himself with a drug habit and a high-priced wife, played by Marisa Tomei. With these little issues, it’s no surprise that Andy is a little short on coin and needs a little extra income. One way to handle this would be to steal from work. It’s not a good solution, but it is the solution that Andy chooses and, surprise, surprise, things are soon worse. Now getting desperate, Andy comes up with a plan that could put a stop to any Sunday dinner invites. He plans a robbery of his parent’s jewelry store, and recruits his struggling, younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) to pull it off. The plan is to use no violence and steal the stock, which is covered by insurance, anyway. Gee, that sounds harmless. What could possibly go wrong?

This is a deliciously evil film about some morally corrupt characters. It plays out like A Simple Plan, or Fargo (without the humor), so if you enjoyed those features then this is worth checking out. The pace is slow and the story takes a little while to draw you in. The script also jumps around alot, so make sure that you are paying enough attention or it will likely be difficult to follow. Now, paying attention is a colossal effort for me, but this one is worth it.

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Ray Winstone, Robin Wright Penn, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson

Director Robert Zemeckis has taken one of western culture’s oldest tales, Beowulf (dating back to before 1000 AD), and applied one of the newest and most technologically advanced film making techniques to this classical epic poem. “Enhanced motion capture” is supposed to be halfway between animation and live action. Zemeckis first employed this system in 2004 with Polar Express, but the technology has improved since that feature. The result, this time out, is a visually stunning epic with some very impressive CGI scenes of monsters and landscapes. The system is still less impressive when it tries to digitize the actors, however. Though, wonderfully detailed, the animation in the human action scenes is often pretty obvious. The strange end product closely resembles a very good cut scene from a video game. Today, when video games are trying to look as close to movies as they can, here we have a movie that seems to be trying to look like a video game. Why? I know, I know. It’s cheaper. I still had to pay full price to see it, though. Anyway, despite the fact that I haven’t been won over by this style, this is a good movie. It is a simple heroic tale with some good action scenes, including one of the best dragons ever put on film.

Little-known Ray Winstone landed the title role here as the legendary hero, Beowulf (though his appearance has been replaced thrugh CGI), who comes to rid a kingdom of its troublesome monster (and undoubtedly one of the worst party crashers ever!), Grendel. Beowulf is a little more shaken when he confronts the creature’s mother, however. She is played by Angelina Jolie (looking amazing, but they gave her character some crazy-looking built-in high heels) and this encounter requires a different approach. Most importantly, he keeps his clothes on (or does he?), which he didn’t when fighting her son - hmmm, that seems a little mixed up. However, he does bring peace to the region, and so when the area’s ruler (Anthony Hopkins) dies, soon after, Beowulf becomes King. However it seems that in lifting the darkness from the land, he placed it upon himself. There is a price to be paid….

Imagine 300 meeting The 13th Warrior (also loosely based on Beowulf) and you will have some idea of what to expect here. There’s lots for action fans to enjoy, and techno junkies will love this new frontier of CGI film work. If you disliked both of the features mentioned above, then this one is probably not for you.

Director: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith

Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Oprah Winfrey,

I think Seinfeld is the best TV series of all time. Its not even close. It is just the best. So it is safe to say that I am quite interested in anything Jerry comes up with now. What he has come up with here is an uneven punfest, loaded with chuckles and big name and Seinfeld cast cameos. The story is all over the place and parts of the film feel like a kids movie, with enough in-jokes that the grown-ups don’t get bored, while other sections of the movie feel like an episode of Family Guy or The Simpsons. Four people, led by Seinfeld, did the writing here, so that probably explains the pun proliferation and story deterioration. Still, let’s not over think this thing like some art house critic, there are some good chuckles and the kids in the theatre seemed to enjoy it.

Jerry Seinfeld is the real power here and his character, Barry B. Benson is a young bee who just isn’t sure that he is ready to spend the rest of his life in the honey production industry, at least not before a little adventure. He joins a dangerous excursion outside the hive and soon finds himself in trouble and has to be saved by a friendly florist, Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger). Being a polite bee, Barry feels that he has to thank her, despite bee rule #1 - never talk to humans. The two become friends, with some kind of creepy romantic overtones and then decide to go to court to battle for the bees’ right to keep their own honey production. There is a little biology lesson and a fair dark plot turn following this, but I’ve said enough.

I may be flirting with the downfall of society as we know it, but I think Bee Movie is safe entertainment for all ages despite its PG rating. PG? Is the ratings board mad with power or what? Anyway, I digress, but for those of you with an interest the aforementioned topic, check out my review on This Film is Not Yet Rated. Ok, ok the commercial break is over, back to the review. The adult/kids tone is inconsistent, and the story moves forward like spilled milk (its all over the place - keep up with my similes will ya?). Art it ain’t, and there are better kids’ movies, but not this week, so Seinfeld fans can scoop up their little noise machines and be pleasantly distracted for a couple of hours.

Director: Michael Corrente

Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Scott Caan, Jerry Ferrara, Alec Baldwin, Mena Suvari,

Yo! Ay! Oh! The Italian section of Brooklyn (contrary to the impressions given by Hollywood, the undershirt is not the official jersey of all Brooklyn) has to be most familiar ethnic neighbourhood in the world. These entertaining drama uses this familiar setting and many stock characters, but only manages to find small pockets of originality. The acting is fine, the story interesting and the characters are quite good, but it all just seems too familiar.

Michael, Carmine, and Bobby are lifelong friends, hanging out in 1985 Brooklyn and headed in three different directions in their lives. A lot of time is spent developing their characters and setting up a little story that is partly driven by the local mob boss, Caesar, played by Alec Baldwin. For most of the movie, the characters struggle with the search for love and a career, until something more pressing steps into their lives.

Sopranos writer Terence Winter wrote this movie and its influence, along with past features like Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale run through it to the point of almost making it seem like a clone. For those of us who enjoyed these classics, it is engaging viewing, but doesn’t have much new to offer.