(1 People gave this 1.00 out of 5)

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“Something elusive”

Click here to jump to the Swift’s Notes (AKA Cliff’s Notes) Review!

Swift shot:  In 1977, I was three years old, so there is no way I could have possibly seen Star Wars in theaters . . . but, I did.  I was probably four when my dad took me in his yellow MG convertible, the kind you had to snap shut, and (perish the thought) I sat in the front seat . . . with only a seat-belt to protect me, well, that and my dad.  Funny how we overlook the most important part of child safety, the parent!  Still, we went, and the roads were wet, and the air was kind of musty outside, like after a dog shakes and there is a light fog in the air.  I was really small, and the world was still new and exciting to me, I believed that anything was possible.  After I saw Star Wars, there is no denying this, I wanted to know what made Darth Vader so evil. Even before I saw Empire Strikes Back, I can remember being secretly happy that Vader didn’t die in the final battle in A New Hope.  He was . . . interesting, and I was compelled to know more about him.  Twenty-two years later, I would finally have a third of his legacy revealed.

Stavanger, Norway – the year was 1999; I had just gotten back from Albania, where I was doing Counter-Intel work for NATO where I saw more than I care to admit.  I saw humanity’s inhumanity.  With that backdrop, I was well ready for something to take my mind off of reality and to just be child-like again.

The film was released already in the states, it released in May, and it hit the can in August in Norway.  I had given strict instructions to every single American that I knew to reveal nothing to me . . . on pain of death!  Maybe the tone I took was sufficient, because no one revealed anything.  But, now we have all seen the film, and we are now thirteen years later, where all the questions have been answered . . . and then some.  So, I won’t pretend you haven’t all seen the film, and I will violate my rule of making spoilers verboten.

Let me start my defense of the film thusly.  When I was in high school, it wasn’t cool to like Bon Jovi, or Bon BlowMe as my friends and I all called them, because we were so damned cool.  But, years later I found out that we were all closeted fans, would go home and jam out to them, all while faking the funk back in school.  And, I think, that is what has happened with Phantom Menace.  I think it has become derivative to say you don’t like it, because of one stupid freakin’ Gungan! Ask yourself, honestly, when you saw it in 1999, was it so incredibly bad then?  Or were you sucking at the Lucas teat and waiting for whatever he would squeeze out, teasing you in anticipation of Episode III?  If nothing else, did not the film get your butt into the theater for Attack of the Clones?  I thought as much.

This first film holds a special place in my heart for being the first piece of a greater puzzle to make up arguably the most hated villain in Hollywood . . . Darth Vader.  When we first meet him, Anakin Skywalker is a slave boy who has dreams of grandeur and adventure . . . but he also is incredibly protective of his mother.  Is this fear of loss the thing that will finally make him the sinister lord of the Sith?  Well, you already know the answer, but I didn’t in 1999 – and neither did you!

Starring the incredible [Academy Award Winning] Natalie Portman as Padme/Queen Amidala and casting Ewan McGregor as the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi was a master-stroke for Lucas.  Liam Neeson, no stranger to audiences now, and back in 1999 had a fair film resume and lots of hungry fans, plays Master Qui-Gon Jinn with Ahmed Best providing some exceptional voice-over work as the oft-derided Gungan Jar Jar Binks.  The pivotal character though, had to be a boy, had to be believable, and had to be someone you cared for in the end.  Jake Lloyd, all of ten years old had to step into some of the biggest, darkest boots Hollywood has ever created.

Could you have done better . . . at ten?  Hell, could you now for that matter?  There was one scene he had to get right . . . and he did!  When Yoda says there is much fear in Anakin, and Lloyd is looking at him with pure malice, that is one of the finer scenes of any young actor.  If he blew that moment, however subtle, it would have ruined the film for me.  That is the essence of Vader, he is an egoist, but he protects those he loves . . . anyone else is just in the way.  In that moment, Lloyd nailed it . . . at ten.  So, put that in your pretentious pipes and suck deep, cynics.

There has a been a lot of talk about Portman not doing a good job, bull, I think the scenes where she was being a queen, she was directed to be regal-sounding or something, and given that a lot of the work was done with a blue-screen, I think she did enough with what she had to work with.  Also, she had to alter her voice etc. to not make it obvious that she was Padme.  I must admit, in 1999, I didn’t know it for sure until she was washing R2-D2, after being (comically) ordered to clean the heroic droid by the “queen.”

Which brings us to the synchronicity quips of so many “critics” – it was “childish” to have C-3PO created by Anakin and to have R2-D2 already introduced in the series.  It was lame to have the force described in an organic, scientific fashion, and why did Lucas feel the need to force racial stereotypes in this film?  Because it is a film . . . it is a series driven by fan admiration, he was going to the candy store, maybe he did it one time too many with making C-3PO’s maker Darth Vader, but I actually thought that was a nice touch.  When he was a ” child” he created a toy, a “childish thing”, but when he becomes a man, that childish thing leads to his destruction.  Impressive.  Good mythology there, don’t ya think?  Or, did you not catch that, because you were too busy hating a certain Gungan?

Also, on to the Gungans . . . did you hate them all, Boss Nass, Captain Tarpals, every last floppy-eared “primitive life form?”  Or was Jar Jar the only Gungan you wanted to kill?  Newsflash, he was supposed to be annoying, he was the comedy-relief, buffoon, hell, even Obi Wan wants to leave him and can’t wait for him to shut up half the time.

All this is why I didn’t hate the film, because this is how I was already dissecting it in 1999, I was intrigued with the story-line, the epic battles, the droids, and then there was this new guy . . . Darth Maul.  When he makes his first appearance, it is one of those great movie moments, and when he engages the second blade on his light-saber, tell me you weren’t four years old again and thinking, “That’s cool!”

What I really liked about his character though, and the fight scenes in particular with him, he doesn’t say anything.  There is no, I am your father, I hate you, I am Sith, your mother is so fat . . . none of that trash-talking.  He just goes right for the kill.  I LOVED THAT, even though the dialogue is what fascinated me about Vader in 1977, in 1999 the lack of dialog had me thinking, woah, that Darth Maul is one bad mutha!

Episode I – The Phantom Menace had rich characters, a compelling plot that sets up the motions to create the Galactic Empire, and a few strikes which can mostly be over-looked to make for an enjoyable time at the theater.  The cinematography, albeit mostly CGI, was state-of-the-art for its time.  The ILM team may have used a softer stroke on the special-effects to create a more raw feel to the film, like they had to do in 1977.  In effect, they got too good, and they show-cased their work to the nth degree.  Still, the overall immersive feeling to transport myself outside of my theater seat was still there.  A few stilted lines delivered by a less than spectacular Samuel Jackson, and one overtly annoying Gungan, weren’t enough to ruin the film.  Telling the first part of the Anakin Skywalker trilogy, where he is but a small boy, the film does a fine job laying out all the pieces that will ultimately lead to his betrayal and his transformation to vile Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

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When married couple Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum) are in a terrible car accident, Leo is fine except for a few bumps and bruises, but Paige ends up in a coma (she had taken her seat belt off and she went flying through the windshield.  That’s why it’s important to always keep your seat belt fastened!!).  When Paige wakes up from her coma, she has brain injuries that cause amnesia, but she’s forgotten only the past few years of her life.  To put it another way, she’s lost all her memories involving her husband, who is now a stranger to her.

Paige is the love of Leo’s life, and in flashbacks, we get to see the little things that Leo does for Paige that make her fall in love with him.  For example, when she was at work with a cold, he left her a box filled with medicine, tissues, etc, and every object in the box had a Post-It on it with something he had written on it, all to make her feel better.  Or when he wanted Paige to move in with him, he didn’t just ask her, he spelled it out for her, in blueberries!!  What a guy!!  While Paige is recovering, we are taken on a journey through Paige and Leo’s relationship, from when they first met to their rather unconventional wedding (it looked like it was in a museum and they definitely weren’t supposed to be there, since the security guards chased them out).

One day, during Paige’s recovery, Paige’s parents Rita and Bill Thornton (Jessica Lange and Sam Neill) show up.  Leo has never met them, and it turns out that Paige had a falling-out with her family several years ago and hasn’t spoken to them since.  But, her parents see Paige’s memory loss as a way to have their daughter back.  Perfect timing, too, as Paige’s sister Gwen (Jessica McNamee) is about to be married.  Paige ends up moving back in with her family so they can take care of her.  This is not good for Leo and his plan, which is to get Paige to fall in love with him again (since her memory shows no signs of returning).

Unfortunately for Leo, Paige does remember her ex-fiancé Jeremy (Scott Speedman) who’s kind of a jerk (he makes a comment at Gwen’s wedding and Leo punches him in the face for it).  Now, Leo is NOT a violent guy, not at all, but between the stress of his wife’s losing her memories, his trying over and over to win her affection again, and his failing business, who wouldn’t deck a guy who pretty much vowed that he would sleep with your wife??

Will Leo succeed in his mission??  Will Paige regain her memories??  I’m not telling here because that would be spoilers!!   Overall, “The Vow” was definitely a chick flick.  I don’t know of any guys who even want to see this movie, which is fine, because it is totally geared towards women.  I liked it because while it wasn’t totally depressing, it was a little sad but had the right amount of light-heartedness to balance it out.   I wasn’t disappointed with the acting or the story; I thought it flowed well and didn’t drag or have anything unnecessary going on.

Interestingly (to me at least,) “The Vow” was quite similar to the plot of the final episodes of a certain spy-related TV series that just ended last month.  It was similar in that the main female characters had their memories wiped, but only the past few years’ worth, and their husbands had to try to make them fall in love with them all over again.   There have also been comparisons to another Rachel McAdams movie, “The Notebook”, which is a great movie, but “The Vow” is not as sad as that one.

A bit of trivia:  “The Vow” is based on a true story.  At the end of the movie, we get an update on the couple the movie is based on, but I won’t let on if they are a couple . . . or not.  I guess you will just have to find out for yourself.

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Carano, you have arrived!

Swift shot: From the jump, let me just say I am not a Soderbergh fan, I didn’t care for Ocean’s Eleven; I am not big into the heist movies, they are always rife with double-crosses and become pretentious parodies of anything worthwhile in my earnest opinion.  But, regardless of that disclaimer, I actually liked Haywire despite its obvious attempts to stylize itself as one of those predictably unpredictable heist movies.  Haywire had one element that I couldn’t resist . . . Gina Carano.  She made Darth Vader’s choke hold look like a stilted pantomime.  In one brutally sexy scene, she dispatches a bad guy between her legs!  Wonder what that guy’s last thoughts were . . . The rest of the movie was just filler at that point, getting her from one kill to the next, so even though the journey was tedious at times, I did enjoy the payoff at the end.

I was happy to see that Channing Tatum finally took my advice and got himself some acting lessons.  They paid off.  But with the award-winning supporting cast of Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas and even a few small scenes with Bill Paxton, newcomer Gina Carano was tough-as-nails on scene and somehow didn’t come off as a fighter who plays at acting, or an actor who plays at fighting, she came across as a lethal fucking weapon, in every sense of that phrase.

[Swift aside: I blew an opportunity to interview her in South Beach, and all I can say is I hope she doesn't bear any grudges, because the thought of Gina Carano gunning for me, quite frankly, terrifies me.  Again though, depending on how she dispatched me, there are worse ways to die, I suppose.]

Because this movie was stylized as a heist film, with the requisite double-crosses and a pseudo 70′s soundtrack, I can’t give away too much about the story.  Point of fact, there wasn’t much story to be told, there was a whole hell of a lot of walking and foot-chases to sate Jason Bourne fans.  They won’t be disappointed.  I did hear one person in my row say, “What the hell, they are just showing her walking . . . and there’s no music.”  I hope Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy doesn’t translate into more of these ‘extended transition moments’ in cinema.

Haywire starts out with Marine veteran, Mallory Kane (Carano) meeting someone in an upstate New York diner.  Then things quickly go, wait for it, haywire!  (I love when the title of the film fits so perfectly into a review).  Mallory is a sub-contractor for a government agency that handles things the employers might not like traced back to their government.  She manages to escape the diner and sorta carjacks a young college kid, Scott (Michael Angarano) who, let’s face it, aint exactly trying to get away from her.  To me, Carano looks like a cross between Jolie and Spears, but she can literally hand you your ass!!  (Hey, I wanted to give you something special, so, here is your ass).  Accordingly, Scott buckles up and listens to her spill her guts about why she is on the run.

It isn’t clear if she is normally an assassin, a body guard, a goon, or what, we just know that on this particular job, she has been hired to retrieve a hostage in Barcelona, or to go along with the heist theme, the hostage, Jiang (Anthony Brandon Wong) becomes the sought after ‘package’.   Her team manages to retrieve the package, but other folks have different plans for that package, and she is caught in the middle.  Can she trust her employer, and lover, Kenneth (McGregor), the government agent (Michael Douglas) or her new MI6 contact, Paul (Magneto…I mean Michael Fassbender)?  Hell, can she trust anyone?  She soon finds out that the only person she can really trust is her dad, a Retired Marine Colonel (Semper Fi) who is a successful writer of his exploits overseas.  Paxton didn’t have his a-game in this one, but he didn’t suck either.

I recommend checking this Soderbergh film out, but not because of anything he did, other than get an incredible performance out of a neophyte actress who is sure to be all over the freakin’ place soon!  He just launched her career, she will be the most sought after ass kicking beauty this decade . . . mark my words!  She did this one thing in the film where she kept kind of biting her lip, and I don’t know if that was scripted, directed, but whoever came up with that little tick . . . keep it!  Hell, Gina, take some friendly advice, make that your “thing” – Arnold had “I’ll be back.”   You can do that lip biting thing in all of your movies and you will have at least one fan for life.  Oh, I also wanted to add she walked around with an umbrella which reminded me of Mrs. Peel from The Avengers or a lethal Marry Poppins, either way, I heard she is in talks to be the next Wonder Woman, you don’t need the lasso of truth to know I second that!

(2 People gave this 4.00 out of 5)

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His father’s son.

The H-Bomb:  It’s the late 1980′s, and Iraqi Soldier Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) has been summoned to Uday Hussein’s office for a mysterious assignment.  They went to school together way back in the day, but he has no idea what Uday could want with him now, except that he does bear an uncanny resemblance to the Iraqi leader’s son.  Aside from the fact that Latif is three centimeters shorter, his eyes are a little different, and that “his cock is too big,” he is a virtual dead ringer.  So, Uday makes Latif an offer he can’t refuse, to become his double.  And it literally is an offer Latif cannot refuse, since Uday will have him imprisoned and his family killed if he refuses.

Latif himself will have to disappear completely.  He’ll never be allowed to see or speak to his family again.  That kind of stinks, but, there are perks to the job; he’ll be living in Uday’s palaces, wearing his designer suits, his Rolex watches, driving his sports cars…  everything, except fucking his women.  That is the one thing Uday is not willing to share with him.  Although, Uday’s favorite play thing, Sarrab (Ludivine Sagnier), does take a liking to Latif, and comes onto him accordingly.

Uday treats him like a brother, and takes him practically everywhere he goes.  It’s during these wildly decadent excursions to nightclubs and private parties that Latif gets to see the very ugly side of Baghdad’s most spoiled brat; the drinking, the drugs, the raping, and the spontaneous killing of anyone who crosses him.  Latif’s new job becomes even less appealing when its real purpose surfaces, to act as a decoy for would be assassins.

Latif decides that he’s had enough of the insanity that this psycho Uday calls a life and starts to think about his escape.  But that could be tricky, since Uday has told him “You’re mine now…  and I’ll never let you go.”  And he means it, too.  Sucks to be Latif.

Saddam Hussein was a fucking monster.  No sane person is going to deny that.  But as bad as he was, his eldest son, Uday, was even worse.  He’d pick up a 14 year-old schoolgirl, drug her up, and screw her.  He’d rape a woman during her wedding reception, then laugh as she commits suicide by jumping off the balcony.  He’d carve someone up with a knife then shoot them in the face, just for the fuck of it.  And he would do it all while sitting in his lavish, gold crusted office, snorting absurd amounts of cocaine, just like a Middle Eastern Tony Montana, only more manic and less quotable.

That, ultimately, is what “The Devil’s Double” is.  Not a political drama, or a docu-drama, but a gangster film.  One that is highly stylized, larger than life, and, by director Lee Tamahori’s admission, plays fast and loose with the facts.  Much of the specific incidents depicted are made up, but the essence of the kind of cretin that was Uday Hussein is conveyed quite accurately.  He was a gangster who didn’t have to worry about the law, because he was the law.  “God gives me nothing.  If I see something I want, I just take it” was his motto, and that is what he did, pretty much with complete impunity,  the occasional scolding from daddy aside.  The film makes no bones about it, Uday was slime.

The main reason to see “The Devil’s Double”, and it very much makes it worth seeing, is the tremendous dual performance from Dominic Cooper.  This is an instance where I forgot I was watching the same actor play both roles.  Between the slight differences in appearance, and their different voices (that’s two accents he employed), I just accepted that I was watching two different people.  His Uday is a lunatic man-child who is always jacked up, wired, and ready to blow at any moment, while his Latif is a calm, sane, decent man just trying to cope with the madness around him.

Another thing to consider is that Cooper also has the task of playing Latif playing Uday, which we get to see him practice in the mirror, in an amusing bit.  This was a very demanding task, the kind that any real actor dreams of undertaking, and Cooper delivers.  It is a truly great pair of performances, and I know I say this a lot, but it’s a pair of performances that is very much deserving of award recognition (which it shamefully probably won’t get).

Director Tamahori, who nearly sunk the James Bond franchise with the abysmal “Die Another Day”, wholly redeems himself here.  He fills the picture with stylish, vibrant visuals and keeps it moving at a brisk, energetic pace, giving the film the look and feel of a Scorsese mob flick.  He also doesn’t shy away from the utter brutality of the story, making the violence visceral, bloody, and never letting us forget what a sadistic fuck Uday was.  I haven’t seen Tamahori’s much lauded debut, “Once Were Warriors”, but of the films of his I have seen, this is easily the most impressive.

In fact, I would consider this a great film, if it wasn’t for one little thing that kept nagging me throughout; the way Latif acts towards Uday.  Throughout the whole film, Latif doesn’t even attempt to mask his contempt for Uday, often talking back to him, insulting him, and even in one instance, slugging him.  I find it highly unlikely that Uday would have put up with this.  Yeah, Latif was the best double he could find. Yeah, he wanted to embrace him like a brother, but he was a Kurd, for Christ’s sake!  Not to mention, Uday was the kind of guy who would kill people for looking at him the wrong way, so would he really have tolerated this kind of crap from Latif?  I think not.

That one hang up of mine aside, I would say that “The Devil’s Double” is one solid picture.  It’s certainly far more entertaining than I would expect a movie about Saddam’s number one son to be, and a lot funnier, as Uday is often made to look like a clownish buffoon.  I must confess that I’m not sure what exactly the point, or the moral, was supposed to be, other than it’s just a damn interesting story.  It shouldn’t be taken as a history lesson or a biography, since again, many, many liberties were taken, but sure does make for one fascinating watch.

(1 People gave this 4.00 out of 5)

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Paging Dr. Harris . . .

Swift shot: Another Liam Neeson action flick . . . but with a surreal, cerebral edge.  If you are paying strict attention, you may figure out the twist, plus it helps if you have a warped imagination.  Shot, on location, in Berlin, “Unknown” is a plausible thriller which is engaging to watch and solve.  Strong German casting complements Neeson well.  Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan), “Unknown” has a fast pulse and delivers action and intrigue.

Neeson plays a scientist (Dr. Martin Harris) who is going to speak at an International Bio-Tech summit in Berlin, but in a rush, he leaves behind his briefcase with all his research and needs to leave the hotel and get back to the airport where he left it.  January Jones plays his wife, Elizabeth, who is experiencing some drama checking into the hotel, so she hardly notices him leaving.  While in the cab heading back to the airport, he crashes and wakes up in a hospital telling people he is Dr. Harris, but there is a guy who apparently already has his identity, played by Aidan Quinn, and Quinn and Elizabeth think Neeson is some shitballs, insane nut trying to convince others he is the good doctor.  Will the real Dr. Martin Harris please stand up?

Paranoia creeps up on him, as he is being hunted, and the only person he can turn to is his ill-fated cab driver, Gina (Diane Kruger) who is a bit reluctant to come out and play cabbie, now that hers is in the bottom of a lake; her boss is not pleased with her performance.  Bruno Ganz does a fabulous job as the proud former Stasi (East German Police) officer, Ernst, you all know him from the “Hitler Reacts videos” which was ripped from his work in “Downfall”.  Neeson hires Ernst to suss out his identity and to confirm the other Dr. is bending reality, or is Neeson the one who doesn’t quite have a firm grip on reality?  That is the unknown element of “Unknown”.

This film is great to rent and watch alone, without the peanut gallery (hey, we all have them) constantly blurting out-loud what they think is really going on or about to happen next.  In my crew, that role usually falls on me, so, when it comes to a thinking film, I prefer to view them solo.  Also, if I am wrong, no one can point and laugh.

If you liked “Taken”, you’ll like this one, but it isn’t (most-likely) what you are expecting.  Still, it was solid entertainment and with January Jones and Diane Kruger, it’s got some choice eye-candy in case you missed trick or treating this year.

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“It’s a Code Blue-Black!”

Swift Shot: If you have been dying to have the REAL Eddie Murphy back, this one is a good jump-start to hopefully more adult features in the near future.  He doesn’t talk to animals, marry a dragon, nor cavort with an ogre [although Shrek does make a cameo], Murphy isn’t throwing his weight around in a fat suit and he doesn’t drop one F-Bomb, but still he manages to steal every scene.  But, this was a film with a pretty impressive cast even without Murphy.  Save for a few terrible accents and not quite enough raunchiness for my liking, this film handled the curves like a ’63 Lusso at Riverview!

Tower Heist is a little bit Oceans Eleven meets Horrible Bosses – you have a revenge take-down heist caper in the works, but unlike Oceans Eleven, these are hardly the Usual Suspects you would want as accomplices.  In that way, it’s a lot like Horrible Bosses, where the average Joe gets stirred up enough to commit a felony, or two, or three, I lost count – see if any of my cop friends can tally the rap sheets.

Alan Alda plays the slimy Madoff-like Arthur Shaw, or is Shaw being setup by the Feds as a corporate fall-guy?  I don’t want to give anything away, but Shaw is simply in love with himself, considers himself the master of all things business and when the time for reckoning comes, he moves his pieces around enough to confuse the best white-collar agents.  Shaw’s slave is Josh Kovacs (Stiller), a building manager completely immersed in providing perfection to the tenants of his beloved Tower. A familiar phrase of the Tower employees, “We don’t accept tips at the Tower.”  As with Towering Inferno, the Tower develops into a de facto character of the film along with one other inorganic character that helps put wheels on the script.

Josh has come to believe that Shaw has embezzled from everyone, including some people he cares very much for, so he enlists the help of a few like-minded victims of Shaw and sets out to steal about twenty million dollars, no big whoop.  Thing is, while they all have motives, they lack any criminal skills, so Josh turns to the only real criminal he knows, Slide (Murphy).  All the buildup to this eventual, erratic, full throttle “interview” with Slide is necessary to tease the audience hoping for a more Axel Foley type Murphy.  I wasn’t disappointed.

The crew of criminals is cast by Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, and eventually Gabourey Sidibe, and while they all bring a special element to the heist, some were better on screen than others.  I love freakin’ Matthew Broderick, but I kept thinking, why is he in this film, what is he really contributing?  Then, HIS scene happened and the audience was loving it!

With buddy films, a lot of character wash takes place, and no one really stands out.  Still, the chemistry was just good enough to chip away at my cynical shell and reveal some golden moments of comedy.  I particularly enjoyed the Snoopy factor and the gauntlet of lesbians.  Sorry, to get that reference you’ll have to see the film; I know most of you will eventually see it if you are pining for some old-school Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood humor.

I was impressed to see Brett Ratner directed this and Brian Grazer produced, two of my favorite film-makers, because I actually like pop-corn flicks, if I want a cerebral cinematic experience, I prefer that at home on Blu Ray where I don’t have to contend with the masses constantly pissing me off.  But, with this film, one poor bastage in the back row was laughing so uncontrollably that it sounded like a horse and a pig were makin’ bacon, which made all of us laugh even more.  So, Tower Heist had some solid laughs, albeit some poor timing by the less worthy cast-members.  If you are a film snob, you’ll catch the scenes that were just a little off.

I recommend checking out Tower Heist in theaters, it doesn’t have a lot of over-the-top action, but it does have some good cinematography that will be lost at home.  But, if you must wait til it hits stores, watch it with a friend who really loves Eddie Murphy!

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The other “Batman Begins”…

The H-Bomb:  Okay, before you start throwing Batarangs at me, let me just say that calling this the other “Batman Begins” isn’t at all fair, since Frank Miller’s graphic novel predates the Christopher Nolan film by almost two decades.  If anything, “Batman Begins” is the other “Batman: Year One”, since Nolan most definitely appropriated a number of elements from Miller’s book.  Both tell the origin story of the Dark Knight: how Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered when he was a child; how he traveled the world for several years, then returned to Gotham City to wage a one man war on crime; and how he came to adopt the Bat as his symbol to strike fear in the hearts of criminals.

Both “Begins” and “Year One” are set in a more realistic world, far removed from the Gothic fantasy of Tim Burton’s take on the material, or the neon nightmare of Joel Schumacher’s (thank fucking Christ).  The Gotham City of both is one overrun with crime, and home to a terminally corrupt police force that refuses to do a thing about it.  So, it is very safe to say that, even though Nolan’s and Miller’s origin stories are ultimately different, without “Year One”, there would be no “Begins”.

The critical difference between them, at least as far as this animated film adaptation goes, is that “Year One” does not focus mainly on Batman, but rather on police Lieutenant Jim Gordon, an honest cop who has just transferred to Gotham with his pregnant wife.   Upon his arrival, Gordon is forced to contend with not only street crime, but also with his dirty partner, his dirty police commissioner, and, last but not least, a vigilante who has been dressing up like a bat and beating the living guano out of bad guys at night.

Gordon also finds himself struggling with his own personal demons.  He has serious misgivings about bringing a child into a world as bleak and violent as this one, and he finds himself attracted to a young female detective who is working the Batman task force with him.  If all that wasn’t enough, there’s also a tough-as-nails street walker named Selina Kyle, who decides to make a career change and become, quite literally, a cat burglar.

Now, to be open and honest with all of you, I have never read the graphic novel upon which this is based, but seeing this film has actually made me want to.  It has the dark, violent tone that’s often associated with Miller’s work down pat, as well as a number of suggestive themes that really push the boundaries of the film’s PG-13 rating.  This ain’t Adam West’s Batman, nor is it a Batman for the kiddies, despite it being in animated form.  I don’t think kids would even like it, anyway, as they would probably find it slow and hard to follow.

This, like “The Dark Knight”, is Batman for grown ups.  The action takes a back seat to the story and character development.  The whole thing has a kind of Noir-ish feel to it, with Batman and Gordon delivering most of their dialogue in voice over narration as the movie cuts back and forth between the two.  This was an interesting approach that, for the most part, worked for me, as we see that Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon are two men fighting for the same cause.  They just happen to be on opposite sides of the law.

While I can’t personally attest to this, I have heard that “Batman: Year One” is very faithful to the source material, which may be both a good and bad thing.  Good in the sense that it is an intelligent, engaging take on the Batman character, and bad in the sense that it decided to make Batman a secondary character in what is supposed to be his own story.

Instead, our protagonist is Jim Gordon, a character who, until Gary Oldman took over the role in the Nolan films, was a one dimensional, ineffectual, incompetent oaf.  Here, he’s fleshed out, complex, and deeply conflicted.  A man constantly having to make personal sacrifices in order to do the right thing.  This in itself is not a bad thing, it’s just that the title of the movie is “Batman: Year One”, not “Gordon Goes to Gotham”.  This is the tale of Batman’s origins, thus one would assume that the story would be told from his perspective…  but it’s not.  This is why, for me, “Batman Begins” is the definitive Batman origin story.

The other big issue I have with “Batman: Year One” is the length.  No, not that it’s too long, but that, at a scant 64 minutes, it’s too short.  There are many things that this film just brushes over and rushes through, like when Bruce Wayne actually becomes Batman.  As it works in the film, Wayne is trying to think of a symbol to scare criminals when a bat flies into the room, and the next time we see him, he’s in his bat costume, complete with his bat gadgets and everything.  Considering how ambitious and multifaceted the narrative is, it really should have been at least a half hour longer, in order to flesh out the key elements of the story.

Another aspect that didn’t pay off was the inclusion of Catwoman.  I know it was meant to set up the character for the future, but, aside from a fist fight she has with Wayne early on, she really has no impact on the story at all, and every scene with her just feels extraneous.  I was, however, amused by how pissed she gets when the press identifies her as “Batman’s assistant.”

The vocal cast, for the most part, is quite strong.  Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) makes a great Jim Gordon.  I’d put him on par with Gary Oldman, and he does a more than adequate job carrying the film.  Eliza Dushku is good and sassy as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, despite not getting a whole lot to work with.  Hot fuckin’ damn I wish she was doing the live action version!

The only weak link in the voice ensemble is, sadly, Batman himself, as played by Ben Mackenzie (“The O.C.).  He tries for the deep, strong voice, but he just sounds wooden for the most part, his line readings are weirdly stilted, and let’s be honest, Christian Bale he is not.  Hell, he’s not even Kevin Conroy, who kicked ass as the Caped Crusader on the animated series.  I understand why they would want a younger actor, since this is a 25 year old Batman, but…  they should’ve found someone else.  In fact, now that I think about it, maybe giving Gordon the most screen time wasn’t such a bad thing, after all.

But, all my pesky grievances aside, I really did enjoy this rendering of the Dark Knight legend.  It’s a tough, mean take on the character and the world he inhabits, the kind that I’ll always prefer over the more kid friendly interpretations (fuck you and your bat-nipples, Schumacher).  The animation is slick, beautiful to watch, and really eye popping on Blu-Ray.  For fans of Miller’s graphic novel, and Batman fans in general, this is absolute essential viewing, and it should be enough to tide us over until “The Dark Knight Rises” hits theaters next summer.

(Give us your rating!!)

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I actually saw this one with my fiancé, and he summarized the movie pretty swiftly. “The movie itself was a 50/50” Confused a little, I asked him to elaborate, because I thought the movie was all good. He explained that it was not whether it was a good or bad movie; it was just an emotional rollercoaster. I enjoyed the film more in the long run.

The story takes the course of some winding speeding bullet train.  At one moment, you feel the shock and sadness that Adam’s character has to struggle with, consistently throughout the whole movie. However, as in life, there are also ups that bring you laughter, a smile, and even hope. It was like Donkey Kong was dangling on my heart as a heavy weight manipulated my emotions on a whim [Swift aside . . . ok].   Eyes still soaked from the sobfest that just occurred moments earlier, you find yourself laughing at the on screen Anna Kendrick forgetting why you feel so damn sad.

This one felt so true to life, it was almost a wake-up call for me.  At times, I felt as if I was watching an exclusive celebrity documentary about this Adam person’s diagnosis; except Adam has an uncanny resemblance to Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Adam is a twenty seven year old radio programmer, apparently in the prime of his life, he has a decent job, an amazing girlfriend, and is so careful it borders along the lines of paranoia.  He takes vitamins, won’t cross the street without a signal, and more trivial things like that. It somewhat shook me that Adam was so much like me. I am known as a worry-wart and a risk-avoider for that matter. I already knew this movie was going to affect me somehow.

Very early we learn that though Adam takes every precaution to avoid unexpected negatively impacting situations, he is diagnosed with not only cancer, but a rare one at that.  From here Adam goes through a heart breaking struggle and learns the ins and outs of love, friendship, and life itself. Adam’s emotional struggle really immersed me emotionally. It was interesting, yet difficult, to watch as a young man in his prime receives the worst news in his life and how he has to deal with it.

The movie really proves that you can be as safe as you possibly can, but there is no protection against the cruel inevitabilities people face in life. Seth Rogen portrayed Kyle, Adam’s best friend and longtime co-worker.  When Adam first accepted the information from the doctor, Kyle was his confidant.  At first, Kyle seems to be ignorantly supportive of Adam’s situation, telling him to make the most of it because “tons of people have had cancer and survived” according to him.  So he tries to motivate Adam positively by telling him that it will pass and he should use this strategic “gift” to meet women for sex. Of course Adam has a girlfriend but hey shit happens right? Anyway, Kyle’s intentions go from honorable to questionable throughout the film, as it seems he has a hidden agenda. So obviously, that relationship is very interesting to watch develop throughout the film.

Adam has a wonderful girlfriend played by the equally wonderful Bryce Dallas Howard you may or may not know from M Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water.  Well, she is nice and all, but I prefer to just call her a bitch…her character Rachael, I mean.  The therapist assigned to Adam is named Katherine and she is played by the bubbly Anna Kendrick.  The premise of this relationship is already comedic gold. You see, Katherine happens to be new to the medical field, extremely new in fact, and Adam has troubles coping with that fact alone – let alone his cancer. However, from his frequent office visits, you begin to see a connection develop between souls and things get even more interesting.  Aside from the support he gets from his parents, Adam  really has only these few people to rely on and help him through it.

For me Anna Kendrick’s scenes were the rage of the entire film. She brought Katherine to life and really almost pioneered the documentary feel of the movie. I’m still not sure why it feels that way to me. Perhaps the acting was just that good? With a fantastic cast and an even more amazing performance by said cast, there are probably twenty reasons you should go see this movie. Here are a few; Anna Kendrick is awesome, “50/50″ is a reality check and may seriously change your life, it pushes all your buttons emotionally (in a  good way); it is a remarkable example of a film worth your money!

(1 People gave this 5.00 out of 5)

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Limacher Low Down: “Killer Elite” has the star power and action to make it a solid contender for action blaster of the season.  The previews do a great job of setting up the action and fight scenes without giving away everything for free, which is usually my biggest complaint about these films. The trailers are purposely misleading, and you get a visually impressive film with an intellectual edge.

“Killer Elite” starts off with Danny (Jason Statham) and Hunter (Robert DeNiro) on a mission to eliminate a “target”. Everything starts off as planned; but something unexpected happens, and Danny starts to question his line of work.  The opening sequence does a great job of breaking down Danny’s character.

Flash forward a year, and Danny is, not surprisingly, out of the business and living a different life in Australia. But he gets a package that sinks his heart . . . Hunter has been captured and is being held captive.  It’s quickly evident that for Danny to get Hunter back, he needs to pull off one last mission.  Trouble is, he needs to eliminate several former Special Air Service (SAS) Members (think British Navy Seals) who managed to humiliate a high ranking Middle East figure.  Now shamed and exiled, he wants Danny and his team to eliminate those that brought shame to his family.

Danny, Meier (Aden Young), and Martin (Ben Mendelsohn) are back together and, with the intel they were provided, start to do some recon work on the people they are supposed to eliminate. Word gets back to the retired members of the SAS, one in particular, Spike (Clive Owen), is not big on defense, he prefers to be the hunter, not the hunted.

Now shit really starts moving quickly as the transitions strafe from scene to scene, which gives the audience something to enjoy.

When Danny and Spike have their confrontation, well, it is something you have to experience for yourself; the moves were quick, crisp, and clean. I wanted to see the scene in slow motion just to see the scene at a frame rate that my eyes could keep up with. Unfortunately it didn’t last as long as I hoped, but the movie had to continue to develop story.

From there, parts seemed to be dragging – there was opportunity to give more action, but it started to drag. New twists and turns are revealed which were rather unexpected, and helped make the movie more enjoyable, though still slow-paced.

As revealed in some of the previews, Statham does some AWESOME Chair-Fu shit.  But, ultimately (perhaps, because it was based on real life) the movie ends with fewer bangs than I had anticipated.  I wish there would have been more interaction between the characters of Danny, Hunter, and Spike.

“Killer Elite” was a great popcorn action flick, it had enough action and violence to satisfy most people. There were slower moments that didn’t add much to the movie. And, if you go expecting to see a LOT of DeNiro, you may be disappointed.  Ultimately, the film delivers on many fronts.  If you want an enjoyable time at the movies, with plenty of action, violence, and some of the best fight scenes in recent memory, “Killer Elite” is a DEFINITE must see!