The Iraq War can be a rather contentious subject for a film, especially with Hollywood’s typical anti-war approach, which has consistently failed at the box office. So it was refreshing when a film not only tried to take an apolitical approach to the war, but really focused on a group of men who are fighting a unique aspect of it. Following a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, The Hurt Locker is a tense film from beginning to end, …
Knowing
How frustrating is it when you see a film that is really good and well done – and then falls apart during the last third? Such is the case with Knowing, the new sci-fi/thriller from visionary director Alex Proyas. 50 years after it was written and shoved into an elementary school time capsule, MIT astrophysicist John Koestler (Nicholas Cage) comes across a mysterious piece of paper filled with numbers. Sensing a pattern, he discovers that the paper contains the dates …
3:10 to Yuma
Director James Mangold’s latest film, 3:10 to Yuma is a remake of an Elmore Leonard short story about cattle rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) who decides to take the responsibility upon himself to transport recently captured outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) to the train to take him to Yuma Prison. Wade’s gang, led by the sadistic and ruthless Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) will seemingly stop at nothing to get Wade back, but along the way, Evans and Wade form a …
Live Free or Die Hard
John McClane is back! Well, kind of. In 1988, Bruce Willis’ portrayal of NY cop John McClane fighting terrorists in a high rise office building firmly established him as a viable action star in John McTiernan’s Die Hard. Followed by Renny Harlin’s Die Hard 2, which was set in an airport, the formula was now set, but it wouldn’t last long. For the third film, Die Hard With a Vengance, the wise-cracking John McClane was no longer fighting the system …
I, Robot
It’s not often that a movie comes along and completely takes me by surprise. In this case, it was I, Robot. I never read any of the Isaac Asimov books, so I can’t compare. He might roll over in his grave; I don’t know for sure. But what I do know is that this film was completely and utterly mis-advertised. It’s an interesting blend of action, mystery, thriller and drama. And it’s anything but dumb. Directed by Alex Proyas (The …
Hellboy
I worked my way through rush hour traffic to get to Hollywood and Highland, where Rafael and I were seeing Hellboy. I have not read the graphic novel. I have no background on the character or story. I only know what I saw from the trailer before seeing the film. As such, I can’t compare, but I can say that while it’s far from perfect, Hellboy was a fun movie to watch. Ron Perlman, as Hellboy, is entertaining, and has …
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
After work, I headed over to Matt’s, and picked him up. We then battled our way through the rush hour traffic to get to the Arclight Theaters for the press screening of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. I got a few driving pointers along the way (thanks Matt!), and we made it there around 6:30, which gave us plenty of time to chitchat before the film started. The film was, overall, entertaining. But honestly, that’s about it. It wasn’t …