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Reviews: Green Zone

Fri, 12 Mar 2010

‘Green Zone’ is the army version of the Bourne movies. It’s a full blown political thriller a la Tom Clancy with high octane action. The acting is superb, but the action is relentless. From the tense opening scene, and then for almost two hours, it’s non stop bullet battles, zig-zagging car and helicopter chases, and enough explosions to uncomfortably increase your heart rate and blood pressure! Is it as good or better than The Hurt Locker, another action war drama? No way. But it is definitely more entertaining.

The plotline is simple and easy to follow: a U.S. Army officer (Matt Damon), based in Iraq, goes rogue when he questions the validity of the Weapons of Mass Destruction he’s been sent to look for.

Paul Greengrass, the director of the last two Bourne movies and United 93, loves that jitter cam. It’s the directing style where the camera jumps up and down at a staggering pace. It works well here and creates a tension throughout the whole film.

The acting is top notch here. Matt Damon is one of the best actors we have today and even in these genre films, he manages to embody credibility and...

Reviews: She's Out of My League

Thu, 11 Mar 2010

She’s Out of My League is quite possibly the best romantic-comedy out, thus far, this year. The best part about this bromance is that it is equally a chick-flick.

In a nutshell she (Alice Eve) is a 10 and he (Jay Baruchel) is desperately trying to hold onto the status of 5. Essentially his family, friends, and lack of any real aspirations fail him; but she tiers of “perfection” and finds it all refreshing. The multitude of characters is what makes the film so much fun. From Kirk's friends down to Molly's parents everyone lends great talent and character to the film.

Kirk is more than just a five and Jay Baruchel makes this a reality. I must equally commend Jim Field Smith for this as well, because his direction gives each actor/character their shining moment. And at the end of it all, what makes this film work are those shinning moments. Smith's direction has created a comedic piece that every guy can enjoy, and every girl will adore.

What makes the comedy here fun and unique is that all the characters are just that, characters. All of Kirk’s friends remind you of those same guys from high school down to your office and the advice...

Reviews: Remember Me

Thu, 11 Mar 2010

‘Remember Me’ does a fine job at making you part of it without you realizing it. If you are into romantic dramas you are going to love it, it is more than just romance though, the importance of family is felt strongly as well. The plot is made up of love and loss and the sense that we have to 'live in the moments' because we don't know when our last day on Earth will be. It is your typical boy-meets-girl story but with a sense of reality in it and a twist of faith.

Our main character Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) is a troubled soul, who feels completely helpless, he wants to be a hero or a voice to those that need it, like his younger sister Caroline (Ruby Jerins). He had a privileged life growing up, but now wants to make it on his own, away from his workaholic father (Pierce Brosnan); who doesn't expect anything good out of him. With his poetic boy looks and the sadness he has about him, he has a way with the ladies. His roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) convinces Tyler to date the daughter of a police officer (Chris Cooper), to spite him for arresting them one night....

Reviews: Brooklyn's Finest

Fri, 5 Mar 2010

‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ is a very good film that brings together some wonderfully gritty acting, an engrossing storyline and a riveting ending. There are some twists that you’ll enjoy and overall it’ll remind you of films such as ‘Crash’ and ‘Serpico’.

The plot goes like this - three Brooklyn cops who work at the same precinct wind up at the same deadly location after their personal problems converge them there.

Kudos to the comeback kid Ethan Hawke, who continues to deliver powerful, intense and captivating performances. One of my favorites from him is ‘Before The Devil Know’s You’re Dead’ from legendary director Sydney Lumet. Just a wonderful small film that didn’t get much play in 2007. He now reunites with helmer Antoine Fuqua from their days in ‘Training Day’ to deliver an impressive and fervent interpretation of a cop doing anything to provide for his family.

The rest of the cast, Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes and Ellen Barkin also delivered magnificent performances as...

Reviews: Alice in Wonderland

Wed, 3 Mar 2010

It’s finally here! Tim Burton’s new phantasmagorical Real-3D remake of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is shockingly a bore. All that eye-popping colorful imagery was just eye candy to sidetrack us from focusing on the anemic script adaptation. Even though it is one of Burton’s most beautiful films, it is not his best. This goes to show you that story is everything. The acting performances were vacuous and the entertainment value was surprisingly subpar. Will kids like it? Yeah sure, kids like almost anything that looks like a video game.

Burton’s adaptation centers around Alice (Mia Wasikowska), a young british teenager who falls down a tree hole and rediscovers all the marvels of a surreal place called Wonderland.

There is something to be said about the director’s need to create a movie that has been filmed so many times by so many people in so many countries. Does he think his version will be the definitive one? Disney might argue that. Burton is a remake master and there is a major flaw with that method of filmmaking - you are always going against...

Reviews: Un Prophète

Thu, 25 Feb 2010

“A Prophet,” is a remarkable fictional film about some of the hard facts of life. Everything from the screenplay to execution is etched out to near perfection. Jacques Audiard brings to life the compelling voice of an “Arab” man in a French prison.

Malik El Djebena (Tahir Rahim) is a young petty criminal who is tried as an adult, for the first time, and sent to prison. He quickly learns that he cannot live out his sentence in silence and must adapt to the two communities, he does not belong to, within. Audiard lends his strong sense of direction and voice to the reality of the duality of Malik’s world.

Tahar Rahim, Malik, guides the audience through this rather confusing world. Rahim’s awkward presence resonates well with his character and audience. As fact after fact of the world around him becomes present to him Rahim’s awkward presence soon becomes his strength. He becomes a rather unlikely hero in a world where he is often depicted as an observer.

Unfortunately that is also where the flaw of the film presents itself. As much as I may have enjoyed the refreshing storytelling, it was also a little too much work....

Reviews: The Crazies

Thu, 25 Feb 2010

In the 37 years since helmer George A. Romero foisted on us the $275,000 sci-fi/horror flick, “Crazies,” not much has changed except the value of the Dollar. The remake, billed as “The Crazies,” by helmer Breck Eisner, cost an estimated $12 million to make. It’s still pretty cheesy. And Romero gets executive producer credit.

Pic climaxes with an atomic bomb blast leveling an Iowa town. Too bad that its negative was not at ground zero. “The Crazies” is that awful. It gets half a star for some unintentionally funny scenes. It loses stars for telegraphing plot moves in advance, failing to build compelling characterizations, totally expected “Deus Ex Machina” resolutions when writers Scott Kosar and Ray Wright painted themselves into corners, crummy continuity, stilted dialogue, and blurry lensing. “The Crazies” uses every cheap trick to create suspense… and fails miserably.

Plot adheres fairly closely to the Romero original. Folks in a small town start going crazy, becoming homicidal maniacs. Source of the problem is quickly traced by Sherriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant, whom we...