Genre: Crime

Year: 2000

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Neve Campbell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Affleck

Director: Nick Gomez

My Review: Drowning Mona - 2000 (Crime, mystery, comedy) An absolute riot. This comical murder mystery takes place in the podunk little town of Verplanck New York, where everyone knows everyone, everyone drives a Yugo, and everyone hates Mona. So who killed the wicked witch of the east? Tune in to find out. The movie has a brilliant cast, and fantastic characters (Danny DeVito (Chief Wyatt Rash), Bette Midler (Mona Dearly), Neve Campbell (Ellen Rash), Jamie Lee Curtis (Rona Mace), Casey Affleck (Boby Calzone), and more. This movie is worth every minute. Even the tongue in cheek gags are great. Directing was fantastic, Pacing was perfect and the comedy inspired. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: When a woman drives a car into the river to her death, everyone in town becomes a suspect.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Year: 2011

Country: USA, United Arab Emirates

Rating:

Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist

Director: Brad Bird

My Review: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - 2011 (Action, adventure, thriller) The fourth installment of Mission Impossible, starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. The cast included Tom Cruise (super sexy), Paula Patton (smoking' hot), Simon Pegg (uber geek agent), Jeremy Renner (the next action star?) and many others. Directed by Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille). A summer block-buster, high-octane, action-flick. The movie starts out with Ethan Hunt locked way in a Russian prison. His team mates break him out of prison to help in another 'Impossible' mission. The IMF team must stop a mad scientist from acquiring the keys to the Russian nuclear arsenal. Complicating matters are the fact that the entire IMF has been disavowed (The Ghost Protocol has been initiated) after they're implicated in the destruction of the Kremlin! The movie quickly picks up pace and it never stops for one second. The action is breathtaking, the plot a tired re-run that's been done, re-done, over-done and done again. Tom Cruise and crew are sexy, smart, and a little funny (thank you Simon Pegg). Jet setting around the world, from Budapest to Russia to Dubai and Mumbai the scenery and costumes were excellent. Unfortunately, the acting was simple, lacking due to the pace of the action and there was very little character development. As a matter of fact, the only time the movie slowed down at all was to focus on some small piece of character background. Whenever it slowed down, I found myself examining some of the plot holes - Now that won't do… Let's get another action scene in there! I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: In the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible series, Ethan Hunt and a new team race against time to track down Hendricks, a dangerous terrorist who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt by the team to stop him at the Kremlin ends in a disaster, with an explosion causing severe damage to the Kremlin and the IMF being implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to invoke Ghost Protocol, under which the IMF is disavowed, and will be offered no help or backup in any form. Undaunted, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks to Dubai, and from there to Mumbai, but several spectacular action sequences later, they might still be too late to stop a disaster.

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Year: 2013

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Ashley Sommers, Leonor Varela, Matthew Page, Casey Messer

Director: Stephen Sommers

My Review: Odd Thomas - 2013 (Comedy, fantasy, mystery) Based upon the Odd Thomas novel(s) by Dean R. Koontz. Screenplay and Direction by Stephen Sommers (Catch me if you can, Deep Rising, The Mummy (1998), The Mummy Returns (1999), Van Helsing (2001)). Starring Anton Yelchin (as Odd Thomas), Addison Timlin (playing Stormy Llewellyn), Willem Dafoe (as Chief Wyatt Porter/the local sheriff) and others. The direction is quite good and the characters are played out as characters in a novel. The movie has a story-book feel to it. The production and writing implies that this is a setting for a series - Perhaps a television series will come of it. The story: Odd Thomas is a small-town burger flipper in a remote California desert town. He’s an ordinary ‘Joe’ with a spooky secret and paranormal powers - He sees dead people; spirits, spectral, ghostly bhodaks - Scavengers that feed off the fear and pain of mortals. He starts to notice a larger and larger concentration of these ghastly creatures. It can’t be good. Something bad is brewing in his small town. In no time at all, he’s teamed up with his girlfriend Stormy and the local Sheriff in an epic battle of good vs evil. The movie was a fun ride, but the story wasn’t all that compelling or original (it’s a mashup of many other paranormal thrill rides where the unassuming hero has to fend off a supernatural threat in order to save all mankind. I don’t think it’ll get very far with mainstream audiences. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Small-town fry cook Odd Thomas (Anton Yelchin) is an ordinary guy with a paranormal secret: he sees dead people, everywhere. When a creepy stranger shows-up with an entourage of ghostly bodachs - predators who feed on pain and portend mass destruction - Odd knows that his town is in serious trouble. Teaming up with his sweetheart Stormy (Addison Timlin) and the local sheriff (Willem Dafoe), Odd plunges into an epic battle of good vs evil to try to stop a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. Based on the best-selling thriller by Dean Koontz.

Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History, Music

Year: 2013

Country: UK, Australia, USA

Rating:

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson

Director: John Lee Hancock

My Review: Saving Mr. Banks - 2013 (Biography, drama, comedy) An excellent movie. A Disney movie, something that can be hit or miss. Sometimes their movies can be too juvenile for adult audiences. That’s not the case here. This is clearly a ‘decent’ movie, which can be enjoyed by older children (say 11 or older) and adults. It’s a bio about Walt Disney’s efforts to secure the rights to ‘Mary Poppins’ the book, so that he could make a movie of it. Directed by John Lee Hancock, starring Tom Hanks (as Walt Disney), Emma Thompson (as P.L. Travers (author of Mary Poppins)), Paul Giamatti (as Ralph the chauffeur) and others. The movie features two actors who really know what they’re doing. The movie is remarkable in its acting, the dialog, the editing and some excellent music. The portrayals of Disney and Travers were excellent, with Emma Thompson doing an outstanding job in her role. More about the story - Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie about Mary Poppins. It is with this devotion and love that Walt Disney pursues the rights. He doesn’t want to do this because the studio wants him to. He doesn’t want to do this because it will make a lot of money. He wants to do it because he respects the story’s power, his love for his daughters, and the respect that he has for the author’s vision. A really good movie with a positive uplifting message. Thank you disney. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: When Walt Disney's daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins (1964), he made them a promise - one that he didn't realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney's plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn't budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers ...

Genre: Drama

Year: 1999

Country: Italy

Rating:

Starring: Osheen Jones, Dario D'Ambrosi, Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Raz Degan

Director: Julie Taymor

My Review: Titus - 1999 (Drama, history, thriller) A screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” by Julie Taymor (screenplay and direction). Starring Anthony Hopkins (as Titus Andronicus), Jessica Lange (as Tamora), Osheen Jones (as the young Lucius), Harry Lennix (as Aaron) and many others. Here is an artistic work of film. Titus is a victorious Roman general returned to Rome after a battle with the Goths. He has taken their queen and her sons as his prisoners, but his actions begin a vicious cycle of revenge posing as justice. The film is filled with artistic flourish and juxtapositions where modern day artifacts stand in as relics of the past. The movie is filled with violent themes, bitter-sweet irony and tragedy. Some of the scenery, sets and dressing are beautiful. There’s a good deal of excellent acting (stage like acting), some poor acting, and a good deal of surrealistic imagery. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: This film is an adaptation of the Shakespear play by the same name. Titus returns victorious from war, only to plant the seeds of future turmoil for himself and his family. Who says revenge is sweet?

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

Year: 2013

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: D.R. Anderson, W. Earl Brown, Michael Carpenter, Kevin Connell, Sean Cook

Director: Joe Lynch

My Review: Knights of Badassdom - 2013 (Adventure, comedy, fantasy) This is a niche movie, but that shouldn’t excuse it’s poor quality. It’s a movie about LARPing (Live Action Role Playing). It’s not a spoof about LARPing or a movie which mocks LARPing (not that anyone would make a movie which mocks something like ‘Star Trek’ fans or ‘Mac Addicts’ or Role Playing in general). Some would claim that you must be a nerd or a LARPer to enjoy this movie. Some would claim that you shouldn’t watch this movie unless you are a LARPer or hard core nerd. Methinks that ‘they’ are the same people getting ‘butt-hurt’ by bad ratings on IMDB. If this movie gets poor reviews then it deserves bad reviews. Directed by Joe Lynch, screenplay by two people (Kevin Dreyfuss and Matt Wall), this movie stars a few ‘medium sized’ names: Ryan Kwanten (as Joe/for the ladies), Steve Zahn (as Eric/for the yucks), Peter Dinklage (as Hung), Summer Glau (for the sci-fi fanboys), Margarita Levieva (as beth/the sucubus) and other mediocre talent actors - Not too bad… The story: Some LARPers get together to enjoy the day at a ‘Convention’ of sorts. A day at the ‘Medieval Fair’ type of outing. Aside from some mediocre acting/lack of character distinction, there are definitely issues with the editing of this movie. The soundtrack (in the movie - not the trailer) is poor to begin with, but then there’s that odd feeling you get when a movie is over-edited (directors cut is 90 minutes vs the 70 minute theatrical release?). The sound work, the pacing, and the sound track are all out of sync. The beginning is pretty good, and the budget matches a fanboy LARP style ‘Adventure’, but then the movie turns into a low-budget horror movie - After one of the LARPers ‘actually’ accidentally summons a Sucubus!) — where the low budget effects can’t match the overall production quality needed for the split genre role of the movie. This is one of those movies where the trailer is much better than the movie. I give the trailer a 3 out of 5, but the movie - sadly - only gets a 2 out of 5. I wonder if the original/directors cut is any better?

Summary: Live-action role players conjure up a demon from Hell by mistake and they must deal with the consequences.

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Year: 2002

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Matthew Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Holt McCallany, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Chinlund

Director: David Twohy

My Review: Below - 2002 (Horror, mystery, thriller) Set in the early 40s, during WWII, in the middle of the Atlantic. Directed by one of my favorite directors: David Twohy (The Arrival, Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick), cowritten by three of my favorite writers/directors: Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Noah), David Twohy and starring a great cast: Bruce Greenwood (Sub’s captain - Lt. Brice), Matthew Davis (Odell), Nick Chinlund (Chief), Olivia Williams (Claire), and others. This fictional tale of WWII takes place after an American sub captain (Lt. Brice of the USS Tiger Shark) decides to pick up three survivors from a German U-Boat attack. It’s a nautical ghost story set aboard a submarine. Chilling, tense, dramatic and imaginative. Pacing and editing are well done, direction and performances were top notch. The danger above has a known lethality and certainty. The danger below is far more deadly, uncertain and persistent. The confining spaces, the pressure, the bad air, the runaway fear - These things all combine to create a palpable atmosphere of horror slowly solidifying around the crew of this doomed boat. There’s plenty of period detail in the sub’s gauges and instruments, set decoration and costumes, but the behavior of the crew seemed too 21st century and there’s a bit too much exposition for my tastes. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: In the dark silence of the sea during World War II, the submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission. But for the shell-shocked crew, trapped together in the sub's narrow corridors and constricted spaces, this is about to become a journey into the sensory delusions, mental deceptions and runaway fear that lurk just below the surface of the ocean and deep inside the human psyche.

Genre: Crime

Year: 1996

Country: UK

Rating:

Starring: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare

Director: Joel Coen

My Review: Fargo - 1996 (Crime, drama, thriller) Written and directed by the Coen brothers (Joel & Ethan), starring a brilliant cast: William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Steve Reevis, Frances McDormand and many others. I like most of the Coen Brother’s work (a big exception is ‘No Country for Old Men’) and this movie is a perfect example of why I like their movies. Detail oriented - in the writing and execution, perfectly paced and carefully edited. The camera work is outstanding and the acting superb. The movie is a crime story that takes place in the middle of a Minnesota winter. Jerry Lundegaard is no ‘Crime boss’, but his financial problems and an overwhelming need to keep things domestic lead him to some very poor decisions. As his problems spiral out of control, he concocts a kidnap scheme, hires some out-of-towners and loses control of everything he so carefully planned. On the trail of all these crimes is the unassuming sheriff from Brainerd. Her tenacious nature proves to be more than these pros can handle. The movie is slow moving, but perfectly paced, with a perfectly matched sound track and camera work. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you’re missing a fantastic example of cinematic Americana. The ‘woodchopper scene’ alone is worth the price of admission. I give this movie a 5 out of 5.

Summary: Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.

Genre: Biography, Drama

Year: 2013

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Forest Whitaker, David Banner, Michael Rainey Jr., LaJessie Smith, Mariah Carey

Director: Lee Daniels

My Review: Lee Daniels’ The Butler - 2013 (Biography, drama) Directed by Lee Daniels, starring some excellent actors: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, David Banner, and many more. The disclaimer - I’m a white, privileged dude from a suburban home. I grew up in the 60s 70s 80s, and there weren’t any African Americans in my Captain Crunchy Kangaroo community. I didn’t experience ‘integration’ in the way that many Americans did - Those who grew up in the south during the 60s, and I had no idea that there was a such thing as black culture (culture other than my own) until I joined the US Military in 1984. So, do I have a particular bias? any racial stereotypes? any cultural privilege? Yes to all three. This is a good movie, but it seems a bit over-dramatic, a bit myopic, and a bit simplistic. Having said that, the movie is complex in many ways. The characters are rich (in personality), the story is poignant, and the message is righteous. In this movie, Cecil Gaines (played by Forest Whitaker) grows up as the son of a share cropper (aka slave). He didn’t go to school, and he never got anything that he didn’t work damn hard for. His chosen profession is in service to others (as a butler) but in doing so he served his family and their well being. He is privileged to serve as the White House butler under eight different presidents - some good, some bad (Here I have a problem with the movie as the politics seem to be at play / every republican president is depicted in a negative light, and every democrat president is depicted in a favorable light). His service puts him in a unique position to observe - and be a part of - the changes throughout our American history (the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, the historical backdrop of the 40s-70s). Ultimately the movie is uplifting, with a positive message. Excellent camera work, and superb acting. Unfortunately the script and direction go over the top with the dramatic effects and moralizing. Billed as a biography, many have noted that this movie is something of a fiction. Yes there was a butler who worked for all eight presidents, but many other aspects of that man’s life (name, children, specific events) have been dramatized or re-arranged to make for a good movie. The movie shouldn’t have been billed as a ‘biography’. Emphasizing love family and perseverance, this movie is an excellent family movie for Americans of all types. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with her addictions and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Year: 2013

Country: USA, New Zealand

Rating:

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish

Director: Peter Jackson

My Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - 2013 (Adventure, fantasy) I love the fantasy genre - having grown up on Dungeons and Dragons and the books of numerous fantasy authors (such as Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan), I love the movies that Peter Jackson has made. They bring fantasy to life like never before. They don’t beat the books, but they certainly make for a more accessible form of entertainment. Here is another blockbuster from Peter Jackson (director). Based upon the works of J.R.R. Tolkien (novel ‘The Hobbit’), this movie stars an immense cast (Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Martin Freeman as Bilbo, Richard Ermitage as Thorin, and many others) and the screenplay was written by far too many people (Fran Walsh (Peter Jackson’s wife), Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro). I’ve written many times about the danger of too many authors working on a screen-play, and this film serves as an example of that premise. There were many instances in the movie where the pacing fell apart - Racing forward at break-neck speed, I had difficulty following various plot threads, and a running battle is no substitute for good story and character development. Obviously the producers want to simultaneously pack in as much ‘action’ as possible during the shortest time possible, while simultaneously making the movie as ‘exciting’ as possible - Unfortunately this sometimes makes the movie less enjoyable. In this movie there are elements of light humor and dark drama. Unfortunately those elements are juxtaposed with a huge cast of characters and the story’s focus continually jumps back and forth from character to character and mood to mood. All of this frenetic activity leaves one breathless trying to keep up with the story and the mood. A bit less exciting action and a more focused story line would often serve to make the story more enjoyable. But that’s just me/my opinion. Maybe I’m all wrong about this. Maybe ‘Michael Bay’ movies are the perfect recipe for every audience… The movie. This is the second installment in the three part Hobbit series. The Hobbit movies serve as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You can watch them in any order as there’s enough character origins info in each film to serve as background to an enjoyable viewing. Here is the continuation of Bilbo Baggins’s journey across Middle Earth in the company of Gandalf and 13 Dwarves. In this ‘episode’ the company is headed towards a confrontation with the mighty dragon Smaug. This movie is a visual feast of pyrotechnic mayhem. The costumes, scenery, makeup, effects and cgi (the Dragon) are all gorgeous accomplishments. Unfortunately, all this cgi and expensive visual effects only serve to cover up the poor pacing, multiple breaks in tension, and poor focus in the script. In particular I’ve noticed that the Orcs and Elves in the ‘barrel sequence’ lacked sufficient cgi definition - It was ‘bad’ cgi. The Smaug character and voice (by Benedict Cumberbatch) were excellent. The confrontation, both intellectual and physical were well done. In the end, this is a good film. It isn’t great, it isn’t bad. It’s in the middle, both in terms of quality and its position in the trilogy. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: After successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin and Company must seek aid from a powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest--without their Wizard. If they reach the human settlement of Lake-town it will be time for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug. And, where has Gandalf got off to? And what is his secret business to the south?