Blades of Glory – Gold Medal Comedy

Balls of Fury – Short on Both

Dexter – Bloody Brilliant

The Ultimate Gift – Sweet and Sappy

Resurrecting the Champ – Jackson Wins Big With Terrific Performance



Resurrecting the Champ   B+

Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett
Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief language
Directed by Rod Lurie (The Contender)
Appropriate for ages 13+

The Summary: A struggling journalist (Hartnett) discovers a former boxing champ (Jackson) living on the streets of Denver.  In his journey to discover the truth about the boxer, he is better able to reflect upon his own life. 

The Good: Let’s face it, Jackson is an amazing actor, and this movie really showcases his talents.  His turn as the champ is his best performance in years and although Hartnett does a fine job, Jackson steals every scene he is in.  I was also impressed with the fine script filled many sincere and self-reflective moments. 

The Bad: While this is a solid piece of entertainment, it’s not too terribly flashy and many will find it a little too slow for their tastes.  Also, I don’t think that the movie packs the emotional punch (bad pun – ouch!) that it intends.  I found myself touched, but not at all teary-eyed. 

This could have been a great little family film, were it not for an F bomb and other assorted bad language.  I think that the film could have been more successful without the language, but the filmmakers probably spiced it up in order to achieve PG-13 status. 

The Summary: Jackson gives a knockout performance in this low-budget crowd pleaser.
 

The Lives of Others – The Government is Listening…



The Lives of Others

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity
German with English subtitles
Release Date: August 21, 2007

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this year’s Oscar ceremonies occurred when a little German film titled The Lives of Others beat out the Spanish hit Pan’s Labyrinth for Best Foreign Language Film.  After all, hardly anyone had even heard of the movie, and it hadn’t opened in even the larger markets yet (other than New York and L.A.).  I have to admit that I was a little upset – until I saw this breathtaking film.  Set in East Germany a few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, an ambitious Stasi policemen (the late Ulrich Muhe) is ordered to bug the home of a writer (Sebastian Koch) that might be involved in illegal activity.  Billed as a thriller, the pic evolves into a beautiful drama with an absolutely perfect ending.  The DVD contains deleted scenes, featurettes, and an interesting commentary by the director spoken in English without the slightest hint a German accent. 

Superbad – It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… McLovin?

Stardust – An Engaging Adult Fairytale

Rush Hour 3 – Ninety Minutes That Don’t Rush Fast Enough

Bourne Ultimatum – Will Someone Get This Man A Steadicam?


The Bourne Ultimatum   C+

Starring Matt Damon, Joan Allen, and David Strathairn
Directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy)
Rated PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action
Appropriate for ages 15+

The Story: In this third and final chapter of the Bourne chronicles, Jason Bourne (Damon) is still trying to sort out who he really is and who made him into what he has become.  The U.S. government, however, has a problem with him being alive and does everything in their power to kill him.

The Good: If what you need is a two-hour-long chase film, this will cure your woes.  This is a very exciting film with tons of great chase and fight sequences.  Also, the cast of actors is first rate and they all turn in very good performances.

The Bad: The biggest problem with this pic is the same problem with the second film: the way it is shot.  Director Paul Greengrass puts the camera right into the middle of the action where we can’t focus on anything, and then shakes the camera around in order to make it worse.  I left the theater nauseated and with a headache.  Either he has never heard of a steadicam, or he thinks that audiences are ADD enough to appreciate this style of film making. 

    Another major problem is that the plot is way too similar to the first two films.  Jason has amnesia, he wants to know more about his old self, he sorta remembers a government official that might clear things up, and then he goes after them.  Meanwhile, the government official wants him dead.  While the story works, it’s just a retread of what came before it, told slightly different and in more exotic locales in order to freshen things up. 

The Summary: If theaters had sold Dramamine at the concession stand, this might have been a better experience for me.