Contraband

Title: Contraband

Directed by: Baltasar Kormàkur

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones

Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime, Remake, Thriller

Running Time: 1 hour. 50 minutes

Release Date: January 13th, 2012

MPAA Rating: R

Review: Walking into the theater, I had low expectations for 'Contraband'. It appeared to be the typical generic crime flick, with a so-so cast. And at the beginning of the movie, I found it to be very much in line with those expectations. The start was slow, and nothing beyond the ordinary, dime-a-dozen action flick. But as the story continued, I found my self sucked in, at the edge of my seat even. By the time the credits rolled, I found myself positively surprised by this film.

So what sets 'Contraband' apart from it's mass of generic siblings? Instead of the usual action-centric mix of intricate fight scenes and explosive car chases, 'Contraband' tries to be a bit more subtle. While it does have some fight scenes, as well as a car chase or two, the focus is not to dazzle teenage boys with cool angles coving expensive cars exploding. Instead, this is the type of sneak-up-on-you thriller, with an ending that will have you holding your breath. All in all, an above average crime flick, with a so-so cast doing a better than so-so job.

Grade: 7

Fast Five

Title: Fast Five

Directed by: Justin Lin

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Matt Schulze, Tyrese Gibson

Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime, Sequel

Running Time: 2 hours. 10 minutes

Release Date: April 29th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: Much to my surprise (and embarrassment) I actually enjoyed 'Fast Five'. Of course, it is absolutely preposterous, and completely detached from reality, but that comes with the territory. If you're looking for a realistic action flick that sticks to reality in their car chases, you've come to the wrong place (and where in Hollywood would you find an action flick like that, anyways?).

This is action through and through, from the first moment to the last minute. In my opinion, it's the best 'Fast' yet.

Grade: 6.5

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

The Expendables

Title: The Expendables
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts
Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime
Running Time: 1 hour. 43 minutes
Release Date: August 13th, 2010
MPAA Rating: R


Review: This flick has quite the action cast, to state the obvious. It also has violence galore, and every scene is a fight scene straight out of a little boy's wet dream. It is piled high with cheese, tattoos, rippling muscles, and things blowing up. It has somehow managed to include every cliche in the book. To top all of that off, it even has action dudes who cry!!! Sounds like quite the must see, huh?

Well, sure, if you are a 13 year old boy (or a grown man wishing he was still a 13 year old boy), then this would probably be a total mangasm. Or perhaps, if you're a mad fan of Stallone's directorial work, you might want to check this bad boy out. The reason I went to see 'The Expendables' was to get away from the 100 degree F summer heat & cool off in the theater AC. In retrospect, I am hard pressed to say that it was worth it.

Grade: 4.5

Brooklyn's Finest

Title: Brooklyn's Finest
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes,
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Crime
Running Time: 2 hours. 5 minutes
Release Date: March 5th, 2010
MPAA Rating: R

Review: 'Brooklyn's Finest' is not really I film I've been looking forward to seeing; I ended up seeing it by the choice of a friend. It is not a bad film, but it certainly is not good either. It is OK. It is well casted, the acting is fairly solid, and it had a grittiness that is intriguing. And while all that sounds appealing, the cliches are spread too thick, and 'Brooklyn's Finest' end up lacking authenticity and credibility. When you watch it, you get the impression that the Director was shooting for a 'Crash'-esque "mixed storyline" effect, but 'Brooklyn's Finest' fall short, and we are left with a choppy, non-coherent film that never comes together.

In the very same way that TNT's 'Southland' seems more like a film than a TV series, but with the polar-opposite effect, 'Brooklyn's Finest' seems more like a [crappy] TV series than a film. Don't be sad if you miss this one.

Grade: 4.5

Public Enemies

Title: Public Enemies
Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum,David Wenham
Genres: Drama, Crime, Adaptation
Running Time: 2 hour. 23 minutes
Release Date: Juli 1st, 2009
MPAA Rating: R

Review: 'Public Enemies' has been one of the highly anticipated movies of this summer, and I've been looking forward to seeing this one for a while. And, for the most part, it did not disappoint. At least not very much. The directing was great, the casting is brilliant, the acting superb, and as a whole it is beautifully authentic. It is a good film. I am however, quite puzzled why it is not a great film. The parts are great, some even brilliant, but the sum is less than great. Still, I did really enjoy 'Public Enemies', in particular Mr. Depp and Ms. Cotillard, who are both brilliant, and I would recommend seeing it. And if you figure out the missing piece, let me know.

Grade: 7.5

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Title: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Brian Haley
Genres: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Crime/Gangster and Remake
Running Time: 1 hour.35 minutes
Release Date: June 12th, 2009
MPAA Rating: R

Review: I first heard of this movie back in January, and the cast definitely had me excited; John Travolta, Denzel Washington and James Gandolifini in the same movie? Damn. It better be good. And the film is ok. The acting is superb, but that was expected. The story line is not as smart as it thinks it is, and it leaves the film predictable. 'Pelham' has enough substance to keep you focused on the screen, but the endge-of-the-seat tension that should be there, falls short. All in all, 'Pelham' turns out to be another popcorn action/remake that made for an entertaining Saturday morning at the movies, but memorable, it is not.

Grade: 6.5

Watchmen

Title: Watchmen
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Crime, Adaptation, Thriller
Running Time: 2 hour.43 minutes
Release Date: March 6th, 2009
MPAA Rating: R

Review: I've been looking forward to 'Watchmen' for months. It has been weeks since I've seen a movie in the theater, which for me, is a ridiculously long time. So, this movie waste land that has been the last month really added to my anticipation of this film.
I was expecting a balls to the wall, action packed, 20 years in the making, epic movie adaptation of the graphic novel; a film to rival 'Iron Man' & 'The Dark Knight' in this genre. However, Zack Snyder directs (the guy who gave us the war porn '300') and I was hoping he wouldn't go too apeshit. Mr. Snyder has a very unique cinematographic eye, and when he does not completely go over the edge it looks fantastic. I was happy to see that Mr. Snyder showed some restraint and subsequently ended up with [mostly] a pretty great looking film.
However, the film itself is not great. It is too slow to be an action, and too brutal to be funny. Instead of truly adapting the story to film, creating a proper storyline, character build and the other necessary part to make a good movie, they basically shoved almost the entire comic into the film, ending up with just too much of everything and not enough of anything. Except sudden, gory, assault on the eyes, bone-cracking, blood splattering surprise snaps of extreme brutality. There was definitely enough of that.
Very Tarantino-wannabe. Just not as good (but then again, nobody does it like Tarantino).
All in all, a good looking film, with a kick ass wardrobe, and some decent acting performances (Jackie Earle Haley, I'm talking to you) but unfortunately, quite the epic disappointment.

My favorite part: Malin Akerman's fantastic rack. Seriously. She singlehandedly (& toplessly) added another point to my rating. At least. Maybe even 2.

Grade: 3

For the record, Hubby gave this one a 1, something that is incredibly rare. I can't even remember the last flick he gave a 1, where we didn't walk out or shut it off.

Fanboys

Title: Fanboys
Directed by: Kyle Newman
Starring: Sam Huntington, Christopher Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Running Time: 1 hour.30 minutes
Release Date: February 6th, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: Two points that needs to be made up front:

1. If you have no love for Star Wars, I doubt you will find this movie very entertaining, and you should probably skip it.
2. Furthermore, if you did not enjoy any of the following films, then the humor in this one might not be your thing: Super Bad, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up.
   

I'm just letting you know, because I personally HATE bad comedies, and I realize that comedy is one of the most subjective thing in films, so, some information of the flavor of funnies in [comedy you might see] is really helpful.
Now, to the actual review:
I, who have a moderate love for Star Wars, absolutely loved this film! It is hilarious! And I loved it even more because it had my wonderful Hubby laughing out loud in the half-full theater. Jay Baruchel, a favorite from Knocked Up & Tropic Thunder, is fabulous, but so is the rest of the cast. If you saw some of the other films mentioned above, you will definitely recognize several familiar faces. And don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for the cameo by Carrie Fisher.
I would definitely say see this one, but look above for points 1, and 2, to evaluate humor-compatibility first.

Grade: 8.5

Slumdog Millionaire

Title: Slumdog Millionaire
Directed by: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto
Genres: Crime, Drama, Foreign
Running Time: 2 hour.0 minutes
Release Date: November 12th, 2008
MPAA Rating: R

Review: This is one of the films receiving a lot of buzz for this year's award season, and when you watch it is not hard to see why. It is an amazing film. The look and feel is fresh, very real, and it has a great energy throughout. The music is great, and the child actors are absolutely stunning. This is a picture of the real India, a picture that is easily recognized if you have ever traveled this amazing country the cheap, down & dirty way. A must see film that stands out as one of the best of this year.

Grade: 9

Pineapple Express

Title: Pineapple Express
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, James Remar, Joe Lo Truglio
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Running Time: 1 hour.45 minutes
Release Date: August 6th, 2008
MPAA Rating: R

Review: Another James Franco film, that i absolutely adore! Before Pineapple's release I had several severe laugh-attacks after catching the trailer in the theater, while waiting to see another film. Those laugh attacks came with some pretty high expectations for the funniness of this film. And, when i finally saw this film back in August, I was not disappointed. In fact, it had me laughing so hard, I almost peed my pant! Everything from James France's charming pot dealer, Seth Rogen's hilarious state of panic, the entire casts collective potty mouth, and the I-learned-how-to-fight-through-playing-video-games-fight scenes, to the ridiculously over-the-top violent action had me in constant state of laughing delirium throughout the whole film. I just saw this movie again last night, and I loved it just as much as I did the first time I saw it. It is, hands down, the funnies movie I have seen since Knocked Up. And it is a very strong contender for this year's Funniest Movie. However, I have yet to see a few of the other, rumored to be funny, movies out this year, so don't count your chickens or whatever... No matter how you slice it, this is a fantastic film, that i highly recommend.

Grade: 9.5

Righteous Kill

Title: Righteous Kill
Directed by: Jon Avnet
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent
Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime/Gangster, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hour.40minutes
Release Date: September 12th, 2008
MPAA Rating: R

Review:
This really is one of those movies that look great on paper; De Niro & Pacino, what more do you have to say? And I saw the cinematic trailer a few weeks ago, and it looked awesome, but unfortunately that does not mean much since the trailer editors can make a turd on a stick look like the next big blockbuster hit. I've been snooked by that trick before.
As expected by this crew, the acting was great, but that was basically the only thing on the "Good" list. The "Bad" list is unfortunately about a mile long: the movie was slow, predictable, and all out ridiculous in places. Even the most dim-witted of movie-goers will have the plot pegged straight off the bat. I found myself squirming in my seat, checking the time every couple of minutes, absolutely bored to tears.

Rating: 3

Burn After Reading

Title: Burn After Reading
Directed by: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton
Genres: Comedy, Crime
Running Time: 1 hour.35minutes
Release Date: September 12th, 2008
MPAA Rating: R

Review:
I've been looking forward to this one for a while, and for the most part, I was not disappointed. Which was nice, since more often than not, when I have high expectations for a flick it falls short. I actually even liked this one. It is funny. Sometimes very. I laughed. A lot a few times. But it is not a great movie. It is good. But not great. The main reason it falls short: the short bits of guts & gore that is intertwined with the funniness. Completely out of place. Bad decision by the Coen's. Really.
Overall: A funny, bitter, quirky collection of bafoons, which equals a pretty entertaining, random storyline. Clooney is really blah overall, while Pitt is hilarious.

Rating: 7.5

The Dark Knight

Title: The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart

Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime, Superhero, Sequel

Running Time: 2 hours. 32 minutes

Release Date: July 18th, 2008

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: The second installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy, following 'Batman Begins' in 2005, and it is excellent. It's dark, violent, terrifying, explosive, and clever. It is well acted, and well directed. 'The Dark Knight' is epic, through and through.

Even if this was not Ledger's last role before his sad, and untimely death in January, his portrayal of the Joker would still go down in the annals of film as one of the most un-hinged, dark and creepy bad guys ever seen on the big screen. Heath Ledger IS the Joker, and for the first time, this character has been portrayed with debt and complexity beyond the one-dimensional comic-book villain seen in the past.

Just as in 'Batman Begins', Bale is great as the Batman, and while Bale's love interest has been upgraded from Katie Holmes to Maggie Gyllenhaal, the difference is surprisingly negligible. All in all, 'The Dark Knight' is a comic-book film that has greatly surpassed it's genre.

Bring on part three. I, for one, cannot wait!

Grade: 8.5