Friday, March 18, 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer

Title: The Lincoln Lawyer
Directed by: Brad Furman
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Michael Pena, Trace Adkins
Genres: Crime, Drama,
Running Time: 1 hour. 59 minutes
Release Date: March 18th, 2011
MPAA Rating: R

Review: Matthew McConaughey is a very unreliable actor. Every now and again, he delivers a performance like his work in 'A Right to Kill', and then there is a lot of 'Surfer, Dude' in between. 'The Lincoln Lawyer' is, surprisingly, thankfully, more "A Right to Kill' than "Surfer, Dude'. It is actually a good film. I might even admit to having my expectations blown out of the water on this one.

The rest of the cast all give great performances as well. Ryan Phillippe, in particular, does a very convincing, and thoroughly creepy portrayal of the nightmare legal client.

'The Lincoln Lawyer' is a solid film, I would definitely recommend seeing it. If you don't feel the need to catch it in the theaters, definitely see it at home.
Grade: 7.5

Friday, March 11, 2011

Red Riding Hood

Title: Red Hiding Hood
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Gary Oldman, Julie Christie, Maz Irons, Virginia Madsen
Genres: Horror, Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Fantasy
Running Time: 2 hours. 0 minutes
Release Date: March 11th, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: While I can't say that I am looking forward to another Catherine Hardwick film, after her last one, the story about the little Red Riding Hood is epic, and I'm a sucker for a classic fairy tales. This adaptation looked very visually interesting, so I thought maybe, just maybe, this one has a chance.

And 'Red Riding Hood' definitely is visually dynamic, and it is easy to recognize Ms. Hardwick's directorial flavor, last seen in the first movie adaptation of 'Twilight'. Once again, Ms. Hardwick falls short of a great film, although 'Red Riding Hood' is definitely an improvement on her previous work.
Grade: 6

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau

Title: The Adjustment Bureau
Directed by: George J. Nolfi
Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly
Genres: Action/Adventure, Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Romance, Adaptation, Politics
Running Time: 1 hour. 46 minutes
Release Date: March 4th, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG-13


Review: I like both Emily Blunt and Matt Damon, and thought this looked like an interesting, clever premise. And it is an interesting film, one that could have been fantastic if it would have been a little braver. As it is now, it is the romance and chemistry between Blunt & Damon that makes this film.

It is definitely worth its 1 hour 46 minutes, but it falls slightly short of where it could have gone.
Grade: 7