Genre: Action

Year: 1986

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: J.L. Reate, Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong

Director: Michael Ritchie

My Review: Eddie Murphy (near the top of his game) plays the 'Chosen One'. An L.A. private detective who specializes in missing children. Murphy's character is chosen to rescue the 'Golden Child' from a band of odd-ball characters led by a demonic agent. The movie has a preposterous, but entertaining plot. Feeling very much like a smaller budget version of Indiana Jones. This movie is a action packed adventure, a typical hollywood plot, made funny by the casting of one funny man - Eddie Murphy. This movie had an odd feel to it. It's as if it were cast as a hollywood action adventure movie, hijacked in casting of the lead role. Eddie Murphy hams it up to great effect in this movie. If it hadn't been for him the movie would have been unwatchable. While Charlotte Lewis was easy on the eyes, her acting, and the rest of the casting was painful to endure. The music was some poorly construed 80's tracks, the special effects cheesy in the 80's way, and the plot preposterous. Did I happen to mention that Eddie Murphy was the only reason to watch this movie? His lines, improvisations, and light hearted nature get him a 4 out of 5 in this mystic, Tibetan, adventure. Unfortunately, the film only rates 3 out of 5 for an overall rating.

Summary: A private detective specializing in missing children is charged with the task of finding a special child that dark forces want to eliminate.

Genre: Drama, History, War

Year: 2009

Country: China, Hong Kong

Rating:

Starring: Ye Liu, Yuanyuan Gao, Hideo Nakaizumi, Wei Fan, Yiyan Jiang

Director: Chuan Lu

My Review: Better than 'John Rabe', a German produced movie about the 1937 'Rape of Nanking'. Directed by Chuan Lu, this movie (2009) is an excellent drama that does a good job avoiding racial stereotyping and racist attitudes. The movie takes it's time and tells the story of a dramatic and tragic event in Chinese-Japanese history. In 1937, Japanese Imperial forces captured Nanking. Atrocities were committed against the city, it's civilian populace, and a large group of refugees trying to survive the horrors of war. The movie was shot in color, then converted to black and white to provide a more authentic, dramatic, and stark vision of those tragic days. This film was a harsh slice of realism, painfully authentic and superbly produced. The camera work was truly amazing. The characters utterly believable, the acting truly outstanding. If you're serious about authentic history, watch this film. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: in 1937 Japan laid siege to Chinese capital of Nanking, this is a dramatization of the battle.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Year: 2011

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving

Director: Joe Johnston

My Review: Another Marvel franchise. This time around it's Captain America - Coming at a time when America needs heroes, we can't blame the studios for taking advantage of this icon. Financial woes, war worries, and employment concerns have us all cornered. We need a Captain America to get us out of this mess. In this action-packed story, we're introduced to another Avenger through the time tested origins story. Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) is unable to enlist in the Army despite his deep desire and patriotic fervor to serve his country. It's 1942 and the Nazi's are on the march. Like other American men, Steve wants to do his duty. Unfortunately, his body isn't up to standards. A Dr. Erskine hears his plight, sees the mettle in his spirit and recruits him to be part of a special project. A project that transforms him into a super powered fighting force. Unfortunately, the Dr. is murdered by an agent of HYDRA on the day of Steve's transformation. This HYDRA organization is an arm of the Nazi's. Led by Johann Schmidt (aka the Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving), HYDRA discovers a source of immense power and splits off from Nazi control to become a radical force set on world domination. The characters were excellent. The acting pretty good. Hugo Weaving was amazing as the Red Skull. Chris Evans was o.k. and Tommy Lee Jones was miscast (he was far too old for the role) as a hard as nails Army Colonel. The digital effects, make-up, costumes, set production and editing were all well done. Thankfully we haven't seen this origins story five or six times, and that made for a enjoyable picture. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: It is 1942, America has entered World War II, and sickly but determined Steve Rogers is frustrated at being rejected yet again for military service. Everything changes when Dr. Erksine recruits him for the secret Project Rebirth. Proving his extraordinary courage, wits and conscience, Rogers undergoes the experiment and his weak body is suddenly enhanced into the maximum human potential. When Dr. Erksine is then immediately assassinated by an agent of Nazi Germany's head of its secret HYDRA research department, Johann Schmidt aka the Red Skull, Rogers is left as a unique man who is initially misused as a propaganda mascot. However, when his comrades need him, Rogers goes on a successful adventure that truly makes him Captain America and his war against Schmidt begins.

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Year: 2011

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: P.J. Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Steve Wiebe, Jennifer Aniston

Director: Seth Gordon

My Review: A comedy about horrible bosses. We've all had them, or, hopefully not, have them. Here's a comedy fantasy, a buddy movie about three guys with horrible bosses who concoct a scheme, ala Throw Momma from the train or Strangers on a Train to do away with the banes of their existence. Starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrel, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx, this movie wasn't the greatest comedy of all time, but it certainly had a great cast. Everyone was working well in this movie. The character direction, acting and pacing were all done right. The laughs were good and the mood very light. The plot was pretty much irrelevant but the dialog was excellent. Very natural, funny and current. I five this one a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Nick hates his boss, mostly because he's expected to work from before sunrise to after sunset and his boss, Mr. Harken, calls him out for being a minute late and blackmails him so he can't quit. Dale hates his boss, Dr. Julia Harris, because she makes unwelcome sexual advances when he's about to get married. But Dale is on that pesky list of child offenders so he can't quit. Kurt actually likes his job and his boss, well, up until his boss dies and the boss's coked-out, psychopathic son takes over. But who would be crazy enough to quit their jobs in such poor economic times? Instead Nick, Dale and Kurt drunkenly and hypothetically discuss how to kill their bosses, and before they know it, they've hired a murder consultant to help them pull off the three deeds.

Genre: Art House & International

Year: 1965

Country: Italy

Rating:

Starring: William Shatner, Allyson Ames, Eloise Hardt, Robert Fortier, Ann Atmar

Director: Leslie Stevens

My Review: How could I have missed this gem? A friend recently recommended this movie (thanks Dennis!), and I'm glad he did! It's well known that I appreciate the quirky/cult movies, love Shatner, and I've invented my own language (called Hallowese). So how could I not know about this diabolical little gem? Well, now I'm a bit wiser, and better off for having experienced this cinematic oddity first hand. Written and directed by Leslie Stevens (of the Outer Limits television series), this independent production featured William Shatner (before Star Trek), Milos Milos (who committed murder and suicide not long after the film), Allyson Ames and Ann Atmar (who also committed suicide a few years later) in a bizarre horror flick. The story - On an isolated stretch of land, a pair of succubi engage in the torment of man. Luring the sinful to their deaths, and ultimate damnation. When one of them becomes a bit too ambitious, she plots the seduction of an innocent and pure soul. She's warned not to engage in such a dangerous endeavor. She's warned about the power of 'Love'. She rejects the counsel of her 'sister' and embarks on her mission of misery. While she struggles to resist the amazing power of purity, she simultaneously strives to topple this innocent and faithful believer (Shatner). The story is simple, but subtle. Filled with allegory, temptation, love and deception. It feels so much like an Ingmar Bergman film that you can't help but compare it to some of his best efforts. The direction was precise, exacting, while remaining humanistic and touching. The black and white film features some great camera work. I especially liked the extended cross-over fades at the beginning of the film, and some of the unique angles. The night shots, and lighting in general were extremely well executed. The scenery (shot primarily in Big-Sur national park (California)) was amazing, and the dialog! The dialog was done entirely in Esperanto! The international language. The use of this artificial language placed the location securely in our subconscious. The language sounds much like an old-world European tongue, while simultaneously defying precise identification. It added an immeasurable depth to this mysterious, moody masterpiece. The pacing, dialog, and camera work create a creepy and unforgettable classic in this satanic celluloid child of Leslie Stevens. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: This black and white horror movie, filmed in California but with dialogue in Esperanto, is unlike anything you've ever seen. "Incubus" inverts the usual moral battle of a good person tempted by evil. When a headstrong, blond, young succubus named Kia (Allyson Ames) becomes bored with luring the corrupt and sinful to their ultimate demise, she decides she's going to tackle a truly good man (in the form of a very young William Shatner, of all people). An older, wiser succubus warns Kia that the good have an uncanny power called love, but Kia recklessly dives in, confident in her seductive powers--until she finds herself spiritually defiled by goodness and must summon an incubus (Milos Milos) to enact revenge. The pacing is slow but eerily effective, as are the stark cinematography and low-budget effects. Shatner's intonations are just as distinctive in Esperanto as in English, but that only adds to the movie's overall stylization. "Incubus" shares a kinship with "Carnival of Souls", another low-budget black and white horror film that has more going on than buckets of gore. Though "Incubus" would seem to be heavily influenced by Ingmar Bergman, director Leslie Stevens has said he was more affected by Japanese samurai films. A strikingly unique and beautifully creepy film. "--Bret Fetzer"

Genre: Sci-Fi

Year: 1979

Country: UK

Rating:

Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt

Director: Ridley Scott

My Review: The second movie by Ridley Scott (a favorite director). This movie features Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto as the crew of the deep space mining freighter 'Nostromo'. The crew is awakened early, in order to investigate a distress signal. The crew follows the distress signal, descends through a thick and turbulent atmosphere in order to investigate a derelict space ship. What they find in the ships hold is something deadly, something dangerous, something alien. My all time favorite horror movie. This movie created a dark mood, a claustrophobic horror flick that chilled me to the bone. This is one of those movies where I just couldn't get to sleep afterwards. I must have jumped out of my seat a hundred times. The music, the lighting, the sounds, the story, the Monster! This movie scared me more than the exorcist. The work of H.R. Giger, the colors, costumes, textures, sweat, and violence created a world of fear that the crew couldn't escape from. This is the kind of movie that makes your heart quiver in your chest, you're breath comes in shallow spurts, and the adrenalin runs rampant through your bloodstream. I felt like a train wreak after watching this horror masterpiece!

Summary: A mining ship, investigating an SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller

Year: 2011

Country: USA, UK, Germany

Rating:

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Vicky Krieps, Cate Blanchett, Paris Arrowsmith

Director: Joe Wright

My Review: Hanna is a rogue agent, a ronin, a natural born assassin, raised by her father in an arctic wilderness. The story is a slowly revealed thriller, with just enough mystery to keep the viewer involved. She's dispatched on a mission of personal discovery across Africa and Europe, beset on all sides by ruthless agents, while desperately struggling to understand herself and make friends along the way. The acting was good, but the character direction a bit antiseptic. The camera work and locations were excellent. The music (by the Chemical Brothers) worked very well with the movie. The plot was a good mix of action and drama. It's not just an action film with a 16 year old girl as the main character. It's also a story of self discovery, family and humanity. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: Hanna (Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.