Street Kings D-
Starring Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, and Hugh Laurie
Directed by David Ayer (writer of Training Day)
Rated R for strong violence and pervasive language
Appropriate for ages 17+
The Story: A dirty cop (Reeves), working with a team of dirty cops (everyone else in the film), finds himself growing a conscience when an ex-partner is killed by a couple of gang-bangers. Meanwhile, his current partners and boss (Whitaker) are trying to cover up the messes he leaves behind. Hot on everyone’s trail is the chief of internal affairs (Laurie).
The Good: The film has a few interesting moments and images, such as man rolling into a razor wire fence and a dead shark floating in an aquarium. Also, the action is constant which doesn’t allow the film to get overly boring.
The Bad: I can’t decide which is worse: the writing, the directing, or the acting. All three are so equally bad.
The story lends itself out for predictability in the first act, and the dialogue is embarrassingly stereotypical. Predicting the ending will not make you seem even slightly clever.
The directing is flawed throughout, including a humorously bad scene where Keanu’s nurse girlfriend tries to take care of his gun-shot arm by wrapping it with a roll of gauze without cleaning it or removing a bullet. Mind you, this only one of many bad examples.
The acting shows the poor ability of the performers to phone in their roles. This film has Eric Roberts and Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson straight-to-DVD written all over it and it’s sad that the filmmakers didn’t realize this before hiring and shooting such a talented cast of actors.
The Summary: This is a true stinker that could have you running for the doors long before it’s over.
Leatherheads – Pigskin Paradise
Leatherheads A-
Starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski
Directed by George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck)
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language
Appropriate for ages 10+
The Story: In 1925, the entire professional football league was in a state of collapse. Dodge Connelly (Clooney), a charming yet brash player is convinced that he can save the league by pulling in a big college player from Princeton (Krasinski) that is capable of filling stadiums. Unfortunately, a cute little Chicago reporter (Zelleweger) is following their team in the hopes of bringing down the reputation of the new star player.
The Good: From the very beginning this film comes across as a purely entertaining experience sure to put a big, cheesy smile on anyone’s face. Clooney’s performance is every bit as good as his turn in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and the rest of the cast backs him up just fine. There were several occasions where I couldn’t help but laugh way-out-loud.
The Bad: The part of the plot dealing with bringing down the young player’s rep gets a bit tired and slows the pacing down considerably. A fifteen minute trim could have made this film a classic.
The Summary: Clooney and gang turn this intelligent sports comedy into a fun and enjoyable escapade.
21 – Kids, Study Your Math!
21 B-
Starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, and Laurence Fishburne
Directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde)
Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity
Appropriate for ages 15+
The Story: Young Ben Campbell (Sturgess) is an MIT undergrad who happens to be a mathematical genius. In order to pay for his upcoming Harvard Medical School tuition, he joins a team of blackjack players, led by professor Kevin Spacey, to try to use their math skills to take Vegas for millions of dollars. Unfortunately for them, an eye-in-the-sky security agent (Fishburne) is on to their game and will try to stop them at all costs.
The Good: The first half of this film is just plain fun to watch. The pacing is terrific and seeing the set up and the possibility of winning this big is thrilling. It was apparent from the Beatles musical Across the Universe that Sturgess had something special, and he proves it here with another great performance.
The Bad: The second half of the movie just flops. Once the thrill of winning is over, the characters all start to make stupid decisions for the sake of drama and the unrealistic turn the film makes gets you rolling your eyes on many occasions. While I haven’t read the true-story book that this movie was based on, Bringing Down the House, I have been told that the real-life events were nothing like what was put on film. I guess that the real-life events weren’t as cinematic, but I wish the film didn’t feel so immature.
The Summary: Just like blackjack, when they are winning the film is a blast, when they are losing the film gets tedious and trying. Also just like blackjack, you can’t force yourself to leave the table till the show is over.
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who! – It’s The End Of The Speck As We Know It
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! B
Starring the voice talent of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, and Will Arnett
Rated G
Appropriate for all ages
The Story: An elephant named Horton discovers that a whole world named Whoville exists on a speck atop a flower. While he is able to communicate with the mayor of this world, no one believes his tale, and conversely, no one in Whoville believes the mayor. When the animals in Horton’s world try to kill off this speck, it is up to Horton to outwit them and do what he can to save Whoville from being wiped out of existence.
The Good: You can already guess that kids are gonna love this flick. It is fast paced with loads of colors and a story that they will eat up. While the film is not as adult friendly as your average Pixar pic, this one should keep the interest of the parents as well as other non-parental units that might wander into the theater. The creativity is abundant here and should make most audiences fond of this lesser-known Dr. Seuss tale.
I do find it very intriguing that the commercials and trailers for the film are trying to sell the voice talent over the film itself. For those thinking that they are getting a Judd Apatow animated film here, please know that Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill are very minor toons in the story and are only being touted in the ads to get you thinking that you might be seeing a G-rated Superbad. That being said, Carrey, Carell, and Arnett are all brilliant in their respective roles.
The Bad: Every so often the animation breaks from computer to hand-drawn in a very awkward way. They even try to throw in a Pokeman sequence which feels very out of place. Also, the end of the movie ends with a song that kind of ruins the enjoyment being had. From what I understand, Jim Carey insisted on the song against the studio’s direction, and I really wish the studio had stuck to their guns and nixed it.
The Summary: Beautiful animation combined with innovative story-telling make this a great family film that won’t dull the wits of the children watching it.
10,000 B.C. A Prehistoric Disapointment
10,000 B.C. C-
Starring Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, and Cliff Curtis
Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day)
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence
Appropriate for ages 13+
The Story: 12,000 years ago, a tribe is invaded and the men kidnapped for the purpose of building the first pyramids of Egypt. One of the men that survived the attack goes after his tribesman and his woman, who was also stolen as a gift for the king. Along the way he encounters many strange beasts and becomes a leader of men.
The Good: There is no doubt that the film feels like a big epic. It’s immense in subject matter and full of great concepts. The cinematography is pretty spectacular as are the aesthetically beautiful sets. A lot of skill went into the building of this film.
The Bad: No matter how big your film is, without a decent script, there is no movie. This script needed some help. Writer Harold Kloser is a decent music composer, but his first script lacks the complexity and creativity of his music. The story is not compelling and the characters don’t earn our empathy or interest. The story has some potential, but doesn’t know what to do with it. Maybe it’s the distraction that the film steals too many elements from other more successful epics such as Apocalypto and Dances With Wolves, or maybe its that the acting is so poor by most of the cast, but whatever it is, it’s more than apparent that this pic just doesn’t work.
To make matters worse, the CG isn’t up to snuff. The mammoths look decent, but the saber-tooth tiger looks completely inorganic. And lets not discuss the giant birds that look more like dodos than raptors.
I have here exactly the opposite complaint that I had with Semi-Pro last week: this should have been an R-rated film. You throw in more violence, more bad behavior, and maybe even some decent romance and/or sex, and you might have the ingredients for a pretty strong film on your hands.
The Summary: Bad acting, writing, and C.G. effects plague this promising prehistoric picture.
Semi-Pro – Welcome to the Amateurs
Semi-Pro D+
Starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, and Andre Benjamin
Rated R for language and sexual content
Appropriate for ages 17+
The Story: The NBA has decided to accept four minor-league franchises and to dissolve those not chosen. In order to become one of the chosen few, Flint Tropics owner and player Jackie Moon (Ferrell) devises stunts to fill the stands with fans and win enough games to go fully-pro.
The Good: The premise here isn’t bad. The cast is immensely talented. There is room enough for some big comedy. There are some good laughs to be had, but unfornately, you probably saw them in the trailer.
The Bad: While the potential is here, what they did with it is give us a lousy, unfunny pseudo-comedy. Most of the jokes seem more like random, improvised humor than what usually comes from a well-crafted script. Ferrell is his typical over-the-top self, but his humor backfires here and leaves the audience wondering about the inside jokes that lead up to this movie.
It baffles me why they made this an R-rated film. It seems that the humor here is aimed more at undescerning teenagers that just won’t know better. It’s like they threw in a few more bad words than you can get away with in a PG-13 just to get an R. I don’t mind a good R-Rated comedy, but most of them go all the way with it and this one doesn’t have a clue where it’s going.
The Summary: Step on up and see Ferrell shoot an air ball!
Vantage Point – Yours, Mine, and the Truth
Vantage Point B-
Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, William Hurt, and Forest Whitaker
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, some disturbing images and brief strong language
Appropriate for ages 13+
The Story: Set in modern-day Spain, the President of the United States (Hurt) is attending a summit and arranges to make a public good-will speech. Before he utters a word, he is shot by an assassin. This scenario is told over and over again from different vantage points and character views until the story resolves itself. During the course of the film the audience sees the view from the Secret Serviceman (Quaid), the American tourist (Whitaker), the President himself, and the assassins and how they all intertwine.
The Good: For an action film, you could do much worse. There is plenty of adrenaline for everyone and you barely get a chance to breathe before the story starts over again. Yes it’s a little gimmicky, but the gimmick pays off and leaves us with an overall entertaining experience. I think that you have to appreciate the originality here and the 24 style film making works well with the premise.
The Bad: Quaid is very good here, but some of the performances, especially Whitaker’s, are pretty cheesy. I also thought that the big twist was more than a little predictable, but it doesn’t hurt the effectiveness too much.
The Summary: Creativity combined with fast action makes this a nice little popcorn flick.
Fool’s Gold – 10 Reasons Not To See This Film
Fool’s Gold D
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland and Ray Winstone
Directed by Andrew Tennant (Hitch)
Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language
Appropriate for ages 15+
The Story: A newly divorced couple, McConaughey and Hudson, attempt to find a treasure that has been buried for almost 300 years. In their way is a rap mogul that not only wants the treasure, but wants them dead as well.
The Good: The aesthetics look professional. This is a well shot film with lots of good action sequences and a whole lot of well-toned skin from its actors and actresses.
The Bad: 1) This is a romantic comedy that is neither romantic nor funny. 2) The script is abysmal. 3) The plot is laid out like a bad Scooby Doo episode. 4) The villains are cookie cutter goof balls. 5) The two best actors in the film (Sutherland and Winstone) turn in the two worst performances. 6) The sidekick played by Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting) is a useless waste of script. 7) At two hours in length, this pic is thirty minutes longer than any bad rom-com has the right to be. 8) Donald Sutherland’s laughable accent. 9) The subplot between Sutherland and his Paris Hiltonesque daughter makes me cringe. 10) There is very little chemistry between McConaughey and Hudson, and yet they make another movie together.
The Summary: This is a good Valentine’s Day to stay home and rent a real romantic comedy.
Rambo – Last Blood (Fingers Crossed)
Rambo D+
Starring Sylvester Stallone
Written and Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Rated R for strong graphic bloody violence, sexual assaults, grisly images, and language
Appropriate for ages 18+
The Story: Many years have passed since our last violent adventure, and now Rambo (Stallone) is still living in South East Asia and making his living as a snake hunter for a local tourist trap. A group of American missionaries hire him to escort them deep into Burma to deliver medicine and bibles to a remote village. When he discovers that the missionaries have come up missing, he and a group of renegade mercenaries head in to rescue them.
The Good: I’ll say one thing about this flick – it’s not boring. It’s a quick and easy plot with tons of action and gore. The finale looked like an homage to The Wild Bunch with a shootout that has to be seen to be believed (and I don’t recommend you see it).
As for Stallone, it is amazing that he is as big and physically fit as he is at the ripe age of 61. But even though he got himself into shape for the pic, he still left his shirt on throughout the entire film. Sorry girls.
The Bad: Besides the bad acting, atrocious writing, and the pointless violence, the film isn’t half bad. Just kidding. What can you expect? I don’t think that anyone could take this film seriously (except maybe Stallone). If you love this kind of movie, then have fun. Go see Meet the Spartans while you’re at it. If you are looking for more than a mindless night at the movies – save your money.
The Summary: As bloody as it is silly, Rambo 4 should give audiences their Stallone fix for at least another 20 years.
There Will Be Blood – Crude Awakening
There Will Be Blood A
Starring Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, and Ciaran Hinds
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights)
Rated R for some violence
Appropriate for ages 17+
The Story: Loosely based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair, Blood follows the life of a successful oil man (Lewis), and the corruption that falls upon him once he becomes wealthy. Troubled by his deaf son and the local preacher (Dano) that won’t stay off his back, he allows the money to cause him to lose his mind.
The Good: Daniel Day Lewis is the big winner here. His performance is absolutely legendary and he should be a sure thing for the Best Actor Oscar this year.
Aside from Lewis though, this is still a great film. Written and directed by P.T. Anderson, the pic is a far cry from his other classics like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love. The film looks like a Western, but with the haunting score written by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, it feels almost like an epic horror pic. It’s a different kind of movie experience that will grow on you long after you leave the theater.
The Bad: While he has proven himself to be a great actor elsewhere, I wasn’t impressed with the selection of Paul Dano as the annoying preacher. I know what Anderson was going for, but the film could have been even stronger with a more appropriate actor in the role.
I must also warn that the ending is very bleak and unresolved. It’s the kind of ending that will ruin the movie for many an audience member.
The Summary: While the production is impressive, it’s Daniel Day Lewis that makes this a memorable motion picture.