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

Director: James Wan

Starring: Kevein Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Jordan Garrett, Stuart Lafferty, Aisha Taylor, John Goodman, Edi Gathegi

James Wan, who is best known as part of the crew that brought us the Saw series, tries an revenge/action flick, this time out. Death Sentence is in the spirit of the Death Wish series from a couple decades ago. This makes sense, however, since Death Sentence is based on a novel by Brian Garfield, who also wrote Death Wish (got any new ideas, Brian?) and not much has changed since Charles Bronson set out to make the urban jungle safe for decent folk with a sock full of quarters in the original Death Wish. The story is emotionally manipulative and all of the characters are one dimensional. Credibility is badly strained here by the keystone cops who seem helpless to solve crimes that Homer Simpson could figure out. Okay, maybe not Homer, but Lisa could do it in a second! Suffice to say, that these are not CSI-proof crime scenes we are talking about, here. The acting is adequate, but the dialogue and story just don’t work. Luckily, there is plenty of action and enough righteous self-indignation opportunities to keep your mind off all of that boring plot and detail stuff.

Kevin Bacon is Nick Hume, a stable, loving (perfect and boring – haven’t I see this guy in about 3,000 movies before?) family man, whose oldest, and favorite son, Brendan (Lafferty) is senselessly murdered and the broken down justice system is unable to offer more than to put his worthless killer away for a few years. This isn’t good enough for Hume, who sets out for a little eye-for-an-eye justice, but in doing so, brings danger to himself and the rest of his little family. Hedlund plays the requisite stereotypical leader of a gang of non-thinking street toughs, while John Goodman’s acid tongued hard ass, ‘Bones’, is the only interesting character in the whole movie.

It’s not great, but then again neither were most of the Death Wish movies (though number one was better than this). Wan keeps the action up, but you will need to turn your brain down to enjoy this one, which has some kind of muddled message about violence not being the answer. If you are looking for a really enjoyable film for Friday night viewing, this one isn’t the answer either. Let’s hope that Jodie Foster and director Neil Jordan have a better answer when their revenge/action effort comes out in a couple weeks.

Director: Peter Hedges

Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Dianne Weist, John Mahoney, Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson, Marlene Lawston

Writer/director Peter Hedges looks like he will have a hit on his hands with this, only his second feature film. This romantic comedy leans a little more towards drama, but is built on sweet characters and a decent story and still manages to pull out a few good laughs, too. There is a strong experienced cast, here and Carell excels at playing the nice Tom Hanks-type everyman. Juliette Binoche exudes appeal in every scene and veterans Mahoney and Weist are excellent in support.

Steve Carell is Dan Burns, an advice columnist who is also a struggling widower who keeps busy raising three daughters. Dan has not been ready to find new love, until he meets the charming and beautiful Marie in a tiny bookstore, while on a cabin weekend with his whole family. Dan is smitten, and the instant attraction seems mutual, but his elation soon turns to pain, when the intriguing woman shows up at the family gathering as his younger brother’s new girlfriend.

There are a few laughs and a lot of “awwwws” as this emotionally manipulative, but still entertaining, little feature weaves its magic. The film will feel warm and familiar and will not disappoint the rom-com crowd (romantic comedy).

Director: Ron Howard

Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, Jurgen Prochnow

Dan Brown’s novel sold a bazillion copies before being turned into a screenplay for director Ron Howard. The result is, like the novel, a mixture of mystery and conspiracy, that had everyone fascinated with how close to the truth it might be and created as much controversy as any recent work that leaps to mind. I read the novel first in one of my rare forays into fiction and enjoyed its light, fast-moving, yet detailed style. Howard, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, known for Cinderella Man and A Beautiful Mind among others, did a good job of adding more balance to the story and did his best to keep things moving through the dry academic material, but still couldn’t win everyone over. This film was one of those enigmas that no one seems to have liked, yet it made obscene amounts of money. At least part of this is probably attributable to the over-exposure of the whole Dan Brown phenomena. I enjoyed the film, though during subsequent viewings I struggle to stay focused. The high-priced acting help is worth it, and I think the story was actually improved during its journey to the screen.

Tom Hanks is Robert Langdon, an academic authority on symbols, whose lecture/book signing in Paris is interrupted by the French police under the guise of using his expertise to look at a Louvre murder scene. In actuality, he is the prime suspect and must be helped to escape by police officer, Sophie Neveu, played by Audrey Tautou. Now, Langdon and Neveu are on the run with both the police, led by the relentless Capt. Fache (Jean Reno), and a crazed religious killer (Paul Bettany) on their trail. To survive, they have to stay ahead of their pursuers and solve the complicated clues to an ancient mystery left by the dying murder victim.

This is good mystery that just could not seem to get its pacing quite right, but is still worth seeing for fans of the genre and the book. The book did not deserve all of the acclaim it received and the movie did not deserve the critical lambasting it got from those who were undoubtedly tired of all the Dan Brown hype. Its not perfect. Its not true, but it is a decent mystery film.

Director: Rachid Bouchareb

Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zern, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Aurelie Eltvedt, Asaad Bouab

This Algerian war film is billed as a North African “Saving Private Ryan” and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2006. The characters are good, the acting is authentic and the overall quality of the camera work is impressive. The story lags at times and could have used more action, but it is still a powerful film.

It’s World War II and a North African Unit is fighting to liberate France from Nazi occupation. Director Rachid Bouchareb does a fantastic job of capturing the period and creating gripping scenes, both of battles and of the men moving through WWII France. The story primarily follows four Algerian soldiers who fight for their lives and for respect from a nation that colonized their land and now wants them to fight the Germans in return for second-class citizenship.

Well, it’s nowhere near as entertaining as “Saving Private Ryan”. It is too slow and dark to measure up to that instant classic, but this is still a taut and engaging war movie with significant social commentary to share that all of us could learn from. There is no society, that I aware of, in which all members are treated equally. Yet when times of war come, these underprivileged citizens are asked to risk their lives for the very group that oppresses them.

“I got nothing against no Viet Cong. No Vietnamese ever called me a n*****.”

Muhammad Ali: when asked why he would refuse to fight in the Vietnam War.

Director: Albert and Allen Hughes

Starring: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez, Rose Jackson, N’Bushe Wright

This action drama was the second film by the movie-making twins, Albert and Allen Hughes. The two started their careers with the urban drama, Menace II Society, and this effort has a 70s urban setting. The style and skill of these talented filmmakers is immediately apparent and the script which they co-wrote with Michael Henry Brown
has well-developed characters and great tension along with explosive action scenes framed with an engrossing small scale story. The acting is excellent, but the real star here is the Hughes direction which is cool and inspired.

Larenz Tate is Anthony Curtis, a good-natured high school kid in 60s New York who is enjoying life with his girlfriend, Delilah and good friends, Skip (Chris Tucker in an early role) and Jose (Freddy Rodriguez) and running numbers for a local tough guy, Kirby (Keith David). Those days are not to last, however, as all three of the young friends end up in Vietnam. Following a fairly lengthy and well-done segment in the ‘Nam, all three end up back in the old neighbourhood, where Anthony finds adjusting to civilian life difficult. Soon (and rather suddenly), the whole bunch of them are planning an armoured car heist, and ohhhh boy, what a heist it turns out to be.

This is a great action/drama film that combines impressive urban scenes with a great Vietnam lead in. For fans of thinking-man action, like Heat or inner-city features like Boyz In The Hood, this forgotten gem is worth digging up.

Director: Gabriel Range

Starring: Hend Ayoub, Brian Boland, Becky Ann Baker, Robert Mangiardi, Jay Patterson, Jay Whittaker

This is one of the most controversial films of the past couple years as it presents America a couple yeas after President George Bush has been assassinated. The result is gripping, but I had a disturbing feeling that such an authentic view of the murder of a real individual is not appropriate, whatever our personal feelings about that individual may be. Still, the feature has merit and is quality viewing, regardless of varying opinions about how tasteful it is and an ending that goes on too long.

This movie is a mockumentry that is looking a couple years back at the assassination of President George Bush. It presents actors portraying secret service agents, presidential aides, activists, witnesses and numerous other persons connected with the fictional crime. It is disturbing and well done with a chillingly authentic mood, thanks to extensive newsreel footage melded with footage created for this feature. The real hard-hitting material comes as the crime is investigated with suspects’ civil rights being trampled under Bush’s patriot act.

Even left-wing Bush haters may see this movie as going too far, but its detached view of government officials going too far in their zeal to get a suspect seems frighteningly possible. Whatever your opinion, this is a quality project, despite the dragged out ending, but if you are a fan of alternative history mockumentaries (Check out The Confederate States of America), this will be a good choice, if you are comfortable with the subject matter.

Starring: Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Traci Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Well, Grindhouse has made it to video, sort of. Death Proof was released in an extended edition this week and upon a second viewing, my opinion has not changed. There is a simple story, great dialog and acting and outstanding, well-executed action scenes. As far I can tell the extended edtion added the ‘lost footage’ of Butterfly’s lap dance for Kurt Russell and a few more scenes to the beginning of the second group of women. The stunts here are amazing, which shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, I suppose since Tarantino cast Kiwi stuntwoman Zoe Bell to play stuntwoman, Zoe, who spends a good part of her screen time on the hood of a fast-moving Charger (or was it a challenger?).
Ahhh, the master of dialogue has re-entered the building and left his katana outside with Uma. This is a great mini-feature worthy of a Tarantino writing credit. This will satisfy the Kill Bill action junkies and the more cerebral word addicts. Its about time he left behind this ‘Tarantino presents…’, Oprah movie club kind of crap and did some work of his own.
The story revolves around a character named Stuntman Mike, played by Kurt Russell, who has a very unusual car and an even more unusual hobby involving that car. The dialogue is amazing and the action scenes are gripping. There hasn’t been a car chase like this one since…well, there has never really been a car chase scene quite like this one.
I don’t want to ruin this by saying too much. Tarantino fans, even picky ones like me are going to love this. But, as you watch and enjoy, ask yourself just one question. Why not just stop the car? It’s a small point, but one that bugged me. You’ll see what I mean. But let me just finish this by saying this…Tarantino is back, baby!

Director: John Whitesell

Starring: Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis, Kristen Chenowith, Alia Shawkat, Dylan Blue, Sabrina Aldridge, Kelly Aldridge

I had hopes that this film was better than I had heard, since I like both Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, but even their talent cannot save this movie that has a script that must have come from a screenplay clearance bin. It is full of overdone slapstick humor and ridiculous situations that would be okay if they were funny. They aren’t.

Matthew Broderick is a Christmas-obsessed optometrist named Steve Finch, who is known is his little town as ‘The Christmas Guy’. That is, until a new neighbor movies in across the street. Buddy Hall, played by Danny DeVito, becomes fixated with making his Noel-decorated house visible from space. Both men’s families watch in frustration as the two men are drawn into, what is supposed to be, humorous conflict. Its bright, loud, and as funny as the average episode of 60 Minutes. No offence intended to Mike Wallace and crew. I like 60 minutes. Well, every dark cloud has a silver lining, I guess. The best I can offer here is the hot Aldridge twins (who doesn’t have at least a little thing for twins?) from 8th and Ocean, in small roles. Its not much, but its something.

Deck The Halls is one of the most disappointing holiday films that I have ever watched and this is yet another example of my selflessly watching the crap so you don’t have to. Unless this is shown on your flight on the way to Belize for a hot holiday, there is no reason you should have to put up with this.

Starring: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, Val Kilmer, James Caviezel, Adam Goldberg, Eldon Henson, Erika Alexander.

Director: Tony Scott

This is a trippy, complicated, but ultimately, pleasing action effort for thinking fans. A kick ass script, on-the-mark direction and another outstanding performance by Denzel lift this film above the level of most action movies. Don’t let a slow, clichéd opening fool you. This one picks up speed fast and veers off onto a movie road that is anything but cliché.

Denzel Washington is ATF agent Doug Carlin who sets out to solve a terrorist attack and in doing so comes across a group of egg headed techno geeks with the coolest technology that you have never heard of, being lead by FBI agent, Andrew Pryzwarra played by Val Kilmer. The technology opens up mind-bending possibilities that will have your mouth dropping open and your eyes glazing over. You might have started nodding off if the high-octane action didn’t quickly start coming at you fast and furious from every direction in space and time.

This is a very good action movie that will have you wondering and discussing after. It received a mixed reception upon release, but despite a slow opening, could have been better, and logic flaws with the ending, this is a very good action movie and if I could go back in time, I would still see it.

Director: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin

This was a best picture winner, which was most likely repayment of an ‘I owe you’ to Scorsese for all of his great work over the last thirty years. Don’t get me wrong. This is a very good movie with excellent dialogue delivered by a top-notch cast. The basic idea of the story is good and based on a Japanese film, but a couple of the characters presented in this version, just don’t work for me and hurt the movie’s credibility. Still a very good film with four more Oscars than I have.

Leonardo DiCaprio is great as Billy Costigan, a bad tempered trainee for the Boston State Police, with an attitude problem, when he is pulled out to go undercover in the Irish mob of Frank Costello, played by the master, Jack Nicholson. Now, Frankie Costello doesn’t just count on all the blessed saints to keep his Irish ass safe. Just to be sure, he has his ‘Statie’s’ detective in the form of the ambitious Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon proving himself as an excellent actor once again), who has been in Costello’s pocket since he was old enough to take comic books as payment. Costigan’s handlers are Capt. Queenan (Sheen) and Sgt Dingnam (Walhberg), whose character has the personality that would make it impossible to hold a job as anything, but a doorman at a skid row bar. Soon, both Costigan and Sullivan are getting pressured to find out who is giving info from the inside. They must both be idiots, however, since this doesn’t seem like it should be that big of a challenge; particularly with Costigan. Let’s see if I were a gangster who just found out that he has a cop in the pack and I have just recruited an ex-cop trainee, I don’t think I’d be scratching my head for too long, before I shot the new guy to see if he bleeds blue. If this were not enough, they both end up chasing the same girl, Madeline (Farmiga), whose character also doesn’t make sense. I don’t buy her unfaithful psychiatrist role and find her relationship with the volatile Costigan without sufficient basis. Anyway, all this keeps the tension level high and is backed up by a great soundtrack.

So, maybe I have to stand alone on this one (what else is new?), but I say this is an enjoyable, but flawed movie, that got ‘Best Picture’ as a sympathy award for the great Scorsese. Its still worth seeing, and maybe even owning, but weren’t they any good pictures that years that didn’t have any ‘what the hell?’ moments?’