* Scarface - 20th Anniversary Edition: (1983 - Crime, drama) Screenplay by Oliver Stone (fyi: this is a remake of a 1932 film), and directed by Brian De Palma, this movie stars Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and others. The 20th Anniversary Edition contains a 5.1 soundtrack and a new widescreen format. The movie is a fantasmagoric, violent fairy tale for the machismo worshipping cult of bigger is better. First off, I'll admit that Al Pacino's performance as 'Tony Montana' was undeniably sublime. He became, inhabited and defined the character with such depth, conviction and charisma that there is no Al Pacino, only Tony Montana. Acting by the supporting cast was also very good. The writing and direction outstanding. The music - while overwrought and dated, is very well suited to the tone and tenor of this movie. The story is a rise and fall story of one Cuban gangster named 'Tony Montana'. Tony and Manny (played by Steven Bauer) were 'political prisoners' in one of Castro's prisons until they made their way to the promised land during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. As refugees, they quickly discovered a way of life that suited them. Tony and Manny quickly rise in the ranks of Miami's drug trade when they take over a cocaine cartel. Unfortunately for Tony and company. Life as a drug lord isn't all roses and sweetness. His life is riddled with violence, disappointment and deadly consequences. My problems with the movie? Violence. Far too much for my tastes. Yes, I know the movie's about a drug kingpin. Maybe I should've stayed away... The other problem is the plot. While the story is engrossing and well crafted, ultimately, it is very predictable. The movie ends in a gory blood bath that can't be topped. If the violence didn't bother me, I'd give it a higher rating. 3 of 5.
* Chandni Chowk to China: (2009 - Action, comedy, drama / India, U.S.) Starring Akshay Kumar, the gorgeous Deepika Padukone, Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey, Chia Hui Liu (Gordon Liu), Roger Yuan and others. I've seen plenty of Indian movies, and plenty of good Indian movies. This movie isn't one of them. I think that the only reason it got the attention of any U.S. audiences, was due to it's co-production by Warner. Warner's first Hindi film. The story is a corny, cliche ridden, plot. Full of stereotypes, ridiculous action sequences and lame attempts at drama. Sidhu is a cook/manual worker in his father's restaurant. He lacks ambition, feels like a loser, but looks for a lucky break to free him from his low caste position in life and fulfill his destiny. Somehow (I have no idea how!) he's mistaken by a pair of Chinese pilgrims as the reincarnation of an ancient Chinese hero - destined to free them from some tyrannical evil master. Convinced that he can help save their village from the evil Hojo, they convince Sidhu - through translation by his self-serving friend 'Chopstick' - to travel to China. Sidhu and Chopstick head off to China, and stumble into the half-baked plot of some bizarre Bholly-Wood production (Hey! Isn't this the plot to Kung-Fu Panda? It's very similar). The characters are all paper-thin, the wire work (flying kung-fu kicks) is poorly staged, the subtitles atrocious, the singing dubbed, and the editing a mess. The only redeeming feature of this movie are Deepika Padukone's good looks, some of the camera work, and a few of the song and dance numbers. 2 out of 5.
* 25th Hour: (2002 - Crime, drama) Screenplay and novel by David Benioff. Directed by Spike Lee. Starring Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin and others. It's a character based drama with powerful performances by the primary cast members. The movie depicts the last hours of Monty Brogan (played by Edward Norton) an unlucky individual caught up in life's game of fair/not fair. On the day before he's sent away, Monty spends the day and night in a series of conversations with the people who define his life. His father, his girlfriend, his partners in crime, two of his best friends from life before crime. The encounters are dramatic episodes of action and consequence, regret and reflection, family and friends. It's a very contemplative movie. Filled with emotion, drama and justice. Seven years for dealing drugs - and the sentence starts 24 hours from now. Excellent unconventional movie with an anti-climactic but fantastic ending. 5 out of 5.
* Yes Man: (2008 - Comedy, romance) Directed by Peyton Reed (Bring It On, The Breakup), starring Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Danny Masterson, Terence Stamp, and others. A typical Jim Carrey comedic vehicle. Nothing unexpected - Light comedic romance, with Carrey playing his usual funny guy. The story. Jim Carrey plays Carl Allen - a lonely, single, mid-level bank employee. Recovering from a recent divorce, Carl is low on self-esteem, withdrawn, and saying 'No' to any risk in his life. He's convinced himself to become comfortably numb. On a lark, Carl decides to attend a 'self-improvement' seminar. During the seminar, he forms a covenant with the guru of "Yes". From this day forward he will say 'Yes' to every new opportunity that comes his way. Immediately, Carl's life begins to look up. He get's promoted, then he meets Allison, and things take a romantic turn. His life is on the upswing until his inability to say 'No' threatens to derail the positive aspects of his new life. It's a typical comedy, but the positive message and bouyant romantic angle lift it slightly above the mundane. The movie leaves you feeling good about life, and that's worth the watching. 3 out of 5.
* Star Trek: (2009 - Action, adventure, sci-fi) Directed by J.J. Abrams (Alias (tv series), Lost (tv series), MI:III) - Writer, director, producer, actor, composer - He's done it all. Starring - Chris Pine (as James T. Kirk (the Starship Captain)), Zachary Quinto (as Spock (the new one)), Leonard Nimoy (as Spock (the original one)), Eric Bana (as Nero (the bad guy)), Bruce Grennwood (Capt. Christopher Pike), Karl Urban (Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy), Zoe Saldana (Nyota Uhura), Simon Pegg (Scotty), John Cho (Hikaru Sulu), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), and others. I'm an old school Star Trek fan (going back to the original series when I was a kid), and I have to say that I've been dreading this movie. It would be very easy to screw this up. Very easy to take the wrong approach. This Star Trek movie isn't what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be a prequel - It's not, and that makes me very happy. It's a brilliant new beginning for the franchise. It takes many elements; the characters, the technology, the adventure and the history. Then it creates a fresh start; new relationships, new technology, a bold new journey which launches the Enterprise into a new beginning for the franchise. An outstanding 're-imagining' by J.J. Abrams. The acting was pretty good for this junior cast. The best acting came from Karl Urban playing Bones, and Zachary Quinto playing the new Spock. The direction, camera work, music, soundtrack, effects and editing were all superb. It even contains many easter eggs for those diehard fans of the original series. The action and special effects were very well executed. I liked it so much that I saw it twice. I'm definitely going to buy a copy. 5 out of 5.
* Miracle at St. Anna: (2008 - Action, crime, drama, thriller, war) Screenplay by James McBride based upon his novel. Directed by Spike Lee. Starring Kerry Washington, D.B. Sweeney, Laz Alonso, John Turturro, Michael K. Williams, Derek Luke and many others. Story - The movie begins with a dramatic ending, then jumps to flashback. It's WWII, and a squad of 'Buffalo Soldiers' are trapped behind enemy lines in Nazi occupied Italy. Surrounded by enemy forces, with a shell-shocked Italian boy in tow, they're doing their best to evade contact/capture. At the same time, their chain of command is making ridiculous demands of them via radio. With personal tension, partisans with questionable motives, and a hostile army breathing down their necks, can these boys make it out alive? I didn't care for this movie. The writing was terrible, the acting was poor, and the characters were highly stereotyped. The military leadership is portrayed as arrogant racists, with exagerated physical characteristics (arm waving, strutting, furrowed brows), and dialog that consists of 'spit slinging' diatribe. The soldiers are a mixed group of highly diverse characters, and they don't get along all that well. Some problems with the portrayal of squad tactics - The soldiers are often depicted (for cinematic effect) marching across open fields (when the cover of a forest is less than 100 yds away), or along the tops of ridgelines. Much of the dialog made me cringe. In one scene, the soldiers enter an Italian home, explain that they're Americans (just in case the locals couldn't figure that out), and start questioning the natives. When they deduce that the slutty looking villager can speak English, one of the soldiers steps forward (taking center stage) and delivers this outstanding dialog: "Mm, mm, mm, and a Jolly Good Tuck-in-the-bed tinker you must be. You can nanny me any time. Want a camel?" WTF? Yeah, there were numerous instances of incredibly bad dialog, and then there was the story of the sleeping man. At one point they interupt the story, just so they can tell us the 'Story of the mountain of the Sleeping Man' the value of that interruption was extremely limited, and the exposition was poorly handled. The German leaders are portrayed (for the most part) as shouting, arrogant, assess - Hmm, almost the same as the American leadership. The dialog contained a profuse amount of modern day coloquialisms in a period piece set during WWII. For example: "Train, get up, we gotta book." The movie was poorly edited, unfocussed, poorly produced and lacking in direction. The begining/ending made no sense in the context of the movie. Even after suffering through this nearly three hour movie, I still have no idea why it began/ended the way that it did. 1 out of 5.
* Underworld - Rise of the Lycans: (2009 - Action, fantasy, horror, thriller) Starring Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux and others. This third movie in the Underworld franchise is a prequel. An origins story. It tells the story of Vampires and Werewolves in the alternate reality world of 'Underworld'. It's a tale of forbidden love, slavery and the arrogance of unrivaled power. The visual effects, costumes, and color work were outstanding - no doubt this is partially due to the presence of the director Patrick Tatopoulos, who has many years of production work and related technical efforts under his belt. While the direction was o.k. (Tatopoulos's second such effort), the story was lacking. There are no revalations or surprises in this action packed tale of forbidden love and feuding rivals. Entirely predictable and boring as a result. If you're not a fan of the first two, avoid this movie. 2 out of 5.
* JCVD: (2008 - Comedy, crime, drama / Belgium, Luxembourg, France - Le Rois des Belges) Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as J.C.V.D. Here is a fantasy. A movie which casts JCVD as an out of luck, down on his luck, has-been actor. Struggling with a nasty divorce, difficulties getting film roles and financial problems are the least of his concerns when he stumbles into the scene of a robbery and hostage scenario. The acting is fair. Jean-Claude surprises us with some of work in this film. It's a bit existential, a bit action flick, and a little bit drama. Here is an entertaining movie, a clever satire on the motion picture industry, and a worthy effort by those involved. Jean-Claude's inner monologue, about half way through the movie was excellent. Unfortunately, watching this movie on Netflix 'Watch Instantly' means dubbed audio. The quality of the dub was terrible, and it really detracted from the overall experience. Why can't I have a setting that allows me to listen to the native language, while displaying subtitles? Must I listen to these terrible dubs? 3 out of 5.
* Paul Blart - Mall Cop: (2009 - Action, comedy, crime, family) Directed by Steve Carr (directed such flops as Are we done yet, Daddy Day Care, Dr. Dolittle 2), co-written and starring Kevin James. It's a vehicle for Kevin James, and he's the only reason to watch this movie. Some laughs, a light romance angle, a linear plot and very type cast characters. The bad guy - played by Bobby Cannavale - is a total snooze, and the plot a complete waste of time. Story - Paul Blart is a recovering widower, trying to raise his daughter on security guard pay. While he keeps trying to pass the New Jersey police department exam, he dreams of quitting his security guard job and finding a woman who will accept and love him for the man that he is. Then there's the crooks who take an entire mall hostage. The plot is full of huge holes, bad lines, poorly executed direction and uninspired camera work. As I said earlier, the only reason to watch this movie - Kevin James in his usual role. It's worth a laugh or two, but save yourself the time and watch the previews instead. 1 out of 5.
* The Tuskegee Airmen: (1995 - Drama, history, war) An HBO made for TV movie. Directed by Robert Markowitz, starring Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Allen Payne, Andre Braugher, John Lithgow and others. During World War II - The 332nd Army Air Corps squadron was a special project/experiment and valiant example of American perseverance. A squadron made up of African-American pilots did battle against Nazis overseas and American racism at home. Based on historical facts, the movie does an excellent job of portraying the struggle of these brave Americans in the face of two enemies - One foreign, one domestic. In the end, the men proved their mettle, merit, and honor above all. The acting was outstanding, the direction fine, and the story great. No amount of harassment, prejudice or political maneuvering could keep these men from achieving the highest goals of all Airmen - Saving the lives of other Americans, and defending our nation from the enemies of this great Democracy. Outstanding movie. 4 out of 5.
* The Day the Earth Stood Still: (2008 - Drama, sci-fi, thriller) David Scarpa rewrote Edmund H. North's screenplay in this remake of a sci-fi classic. Directed by Scott Derrickson, starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese and many others. The original movies is one of my all time favorite sci-fi movies. It's an outstanding, dramatic, story, full of human interest and thrilling effects (for it's day). With that said, it's hard to expect any remake to live up to the original. Simply beefing up the special effects won't do it. Changing the story too much risks the elimination of a fantastic core, and changing the characters too much risks the loss of it's humanistic angle. Well, they gave it a good try. The story - Just in case you haven't seen the original... A strange spacecraft approaches Earth and lands in Central Park, New York. It's first contact! The alien pilot of this craft is here to communicate an important message to all mankind - Unfortunately, someone panics and the visitor is struck down. While the overzealous American leaders plot some way to 'own' the alien and it's technology, their back-up strategy is 'If we can't own it, no one can' This ethic is highly cliched, unnecessarily simple, and no longer works with today's audience. The only acting of note comes from Jennifer Connelly. Many of the characters were cardboard cutouts - discarded like redshirts in a Star Trek original series manner. Keanu Reeves would have made a better defense robot than emissary of an advanced race. John Cleese has an interesting but minor role, and overall the performances were flat. The digital effects were o.k. but the story was the focus, and the re-write didn't do it justice. It was entertaining, but I can only manage a 3 out of 5 for this less than stellar remake of a classic sci-fi tale.
* The Bad Seed: (1956 - Drama, horror, mystery, thriller) Directed by Mervyn Leroy (Little Caesar, Madame Curie, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Quo Vadis, Mr. Roberts, Gypsy). Starring Nancy Kelly (as Rhoda the Bad Seed), Patricia McCormack (The mother), Henry Jones (the handyman). The story - Rhoda Penmark is the sweetest, smartest, cutest, most loveable child a mother could ask for... Or is she? Could this adorable eight year old - A Shirley Temple look alike really be a murdering, coniving, thief - A 'Bad Seed'? It's a cautionary tale, a psychological thriller and a mystery. While her mother might have her suspicions, no one really knows. No one except the handyman that is. Based on a long running broadway play (staged and directed like a play), the writting was excellent, and cinematography excellent, but the acting was the part that sets this movie apart. 4 out of 5.
* Always outnumbered, Always Outgunned: (1998 - Drama) Teleplay and novel by Walter Mosley. Directed by Michael Apted (Seven Up, Rome (tv seasons one and two), Gorky Park, Gorillas in the Mist, Class Action, Nell). Starring Laurence Fishburne, Cicely Tyson, Daniel Williams, Bill Cobbs, Natalie Cole, Laurie Metcalf, Alan Wilder and others. This drama is a well made HBO production. The story is one of Socrates Fortlow (played by Laurence Fishburne), an ex-con trying his best to earn a living and stay out of trouble in South-Central L.A. The characters in this movie manage to avoid the usual stereotypes of typical holywood production. The story focuses on the people that define Socrates. A man dying of cancer, a young married couple and a troubled young boy. The movie lacks the explosions and laser-focussed script of a hollywood blockbuster, but it rewards the viewer with honest characters, earnest emotion and excellent performances. 4 of 5.