Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year: 2014

Country: UK, USA, Germany

Rating:

Starring: Grigoriy Dobrygin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Homayoun Ershadi, Mehdi Dehbi, Neil Malik Abdullah

Director: Anton Corbijn

My Review: Screen play by Andrew Bovell, based upon a novel of same name by John le Carre (also wrote Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Constant Gardener). Directed by Anton Corbijn (Best known for music videos). Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Daniel Bruhl, Willem Dafoe and others. A great cast produces some excellent acting. This movie is a slow burning thriller with great writing and intrigue. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a German intelligence operative, working for an undisclosed secret organization. He and his team are on track to crack some really tough terror networks. Unfortunately, it takes time to develop the correct resources, leads and intelligence. In the aftermath of 9/11, none of the government agencies want to wait. The pressure to produce immediate results is tremendous. It's a movie that emphasizes the chess-like moves required to capture terrorists. The intrigue, the politics, the emotional and sociological manipulation. What it lacks in explosions, it more than makes up for in character development and nuanced plot turns. Superbly paced and directed with outstanding camera work. Although incredibly relevant and believable, the ending was a slight let-down. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: When a half-Chechen, half-Russian, brutally tortured immigrant turns up in Hamburg's Islamic community, laying claim to his father's ill gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man's true identity - oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist? Based on John le Carré's novel, A MOST WANTED MAN is a contemporary, cerebral tale of intrigue, love, rivalry, and politics that prickles with tension right through to its last heart-stopping scene.

Genre: Crime

Year: 2000

Country: France

Rating:

Starring: Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Monica Bellucci, Nydia Caro

Director: Stephen Hopkins

My Review: An intense character drama. This movie is based on a book (Brainwash), also made into a French movie called Garde à vue. The American version stars Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane and Monica Bellucci. Here's a character drama that puts Gene Hackman up against Morgan Freeman in an intense psychologically intense crime drama. Hackman's character is 'invited' to the police department (in San Juan Puerto Rico), in order to answer a few nagging questions regarding a recent murder investigation. Hackman plays a wealthy older man, married to an incredibly hot younger woman (much younger). When he 'discovers' the body of a child who's been raped and murdered, the investigation turns in his direction. What follows in an intense police interrogation where his old friend (Morgan Freeman) - the police inspector, his wife (Monica Bellucci), and an ambitious junior detective, all take turns tearing apart Hackman's 'character'. It's a psychologically torturous journey through the intimate thoughts of the characters involved. This is an excellent drama where the direction took great care with the rather unique, self narated, expository, flash-back scenes. This movie is all about the characters, the emotions, the relationships. It's not really about the murders. While the subject of the murders is sickening, it's only there to create a starting point for all the intense character interactions which we witness in the movie. This movie really stretches the acting abililties of the two main actors. Clearly, Hackman is a superior actor. This role demanded much in the way of his performance, and he never failed to perform. The performances by all were very good. The weapons in this movie are suspicion, innuendo, jealousy, envy, confidence, deceit and secrets. The ending is a true shocker. After seeing this movie a second time, I'm finally starting to see where the characters were taking us.

Summary: A lawyer is asked to come to the police station to clear up a few loose ends in his witness report of a foul murder. This will only take ten minutes, they say, but it turns out to be one loose end after another, and the ten minutes he is away from his speech become longer and longer...

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Year: 2014

Country: USA, UK

Rating:

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Bill Smitrovich, Amila Terzimehic

Director: Roger Donaldson

My Review: An action movie with Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko and others. Screenplay by too many, based on a book (There are no spies) by Bill Granger (Peter Devereaux novels) and direction by Roger Donaldson (No Way Out, Cocktail, Dante's Peak, Thirteen Days). In this movie, Pierce Brosnan plays Peter Devereaux a former CIA operative who comes back to help extract an asset (a beautiful woman - of course, who he might have slept with - of course (FYI: Olga is a former 'Bond Girl'). She's close to someone running for President of Russia, and she's got proof that this candidate committed war crimes during the Chechen war. The plot is rather complicated, what with Russians and CIA operatives both out to kill our primaries. Unfortunately, the script doesn't spend a lot of time on that. It also doesn't spend much time on character development. What we do get is a lot of spy thriller clichés and characters running around shooting people and blowing stuff up. A spy thriller with very quick pacing and very little substance. If the producers (Pierce Brosnan was one of the executive producers) were hoping to produce more of the Peter Devereaux novels - as an alternate to the James Bond/007 franchise then they really need to rethink their strategy. The introduction didn't give us enough character background, and they're going to need a different lead/primary character - Pierce Brosnan was James Bond, how can he also be Peter Devereaux? Oh yeah, and a 61 year old actor as a Secret Agent means it's unlikely he'll be able to do many more of kinds of movies. I get that they used Brosnan because he's good at this role - but a new Franchise can't succeed if you start it out like this. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Peter Devereaux is a former CIA agent who is asked by the man he worked for to extract a woman who is in Russia and is presently close to a man running for President, who is believed to have committed crimes during the Chechen war. She can give them the name of someone who can prove it. His friend says that she will only come to him. So he goes and she gets the info and tries to get out but the man finds out and tries to stop her.

Genre: War, Drama

Year: 1962

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino, James Coburn

Director: Don Siegel

My Review: A WWII Epic, but not great. Kind of stinky actually. Written by too many people, directed by Don Siegel (Hitler Lives, Star in the Night, The Verdict, Dirty Harry, The Shootist). Featuring an all-star cast: Steve McQueen, Harry Guardino, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Bob Newhart (his first film role), James Coburn, Mike Kellin, Don Haggerty, Nick Adams and many more. Supposedly based on a true story, this movie purports to tell the tale of Sgt Larkin (played by Harry Guardino) and his small squad of men, trapped behind enemy lines. This squad of heroes must single-handedly defend against a German breakout as the Allies are pressing across the Siegfried line. There was plenty of character development, but the acting wasn't all that good. Steve McQueen provided the best performances, but they weren't his best. The dialog contained out of context phrases, the sets and locations weren't very convincing and I think there were only a half dozen 'Germans' in the entire film. Nick Adams as a Polish soldier was laughable. The sound track was poor and the melodramatic acting kept me wincing. You can definitely find a better WWII epic to watch - don't waste your time on this one. 2 out of 5. • Hell is for Heroes - 1962 (War, Drama) A WWII Epic, but not great. Kind of stinky actually. Written by too many people, directed by Don Siegel (Hitler Lives, Star in the Night, The Verdict, Dirty Harry, The Shootist). Featuring an all-star cast: Steve McQueen, Harry Guardino, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Bob Newhart (his first film role), James Coburn, Mike Kellin, Don Haggerty, Nick Adams and many more. Supposedly based on a true story, this movie purports to tell the tale of Sgt Larkin (played by Harry Guardino) and his small squad of men, trapped behind enemy lines. This squad of heroes must single-handedly defend against a German breakout as the Allies are pressing across the Siegfried line. There was plenty of character development, but the acting wasn't all that good. Steve McQueen provided the best performances, but they weren't his best. The dialog contained out of context phrases, the sets and locations weren't very convincing and I think there were only a half dozen 'Germans' in the entire film. Nick Adams as a Polish soldier was laughable. The sound track was poor and the melodramatic acting kept me wincing. You can definitely find a better WWII epic to watch - don't waste your time on this one. 2 out of 5. • Hell is for Heroes - 1962 (War, Drama) A WWII Epic, but not great. Kind of stinky actually. Written by too many people, directed by Don Siegel (Hitler Lives, Star in the Night, The Verdict, Dirty Harry, The Shootist). Featuring an all-star cast: Steve McQueen, Harry Guardino, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Bob Newhart (his first film role), James Coburn, Mike Kellin, Don Haggerty, Nick Adams and many more. Supposedly based on a true story, this movie purports to tell the tale of Sgt Larkin (played by Harry Guardino) and his small squad of men, trapped behind enemy lines. This squad of heroes must single-handedly defend against a German breakout as the Allies are pressing across the Siegfried line. There was plenty of character development, but the acting wasn't all that good. Steve McQueen provided the best performances, but they weren't his best. The dialog contained out of context phrases, the sets and locations weren't very convincing and I think there were only a half dozen 'Germans' in the entire film. Nick Adams as a Polish soldier was laughable. The sound track was poor and the melodramatic acting kept me wincing. You can definitely find a better WWII epic to watch - don't waste your time on this one. 2 out of 5.

Summary: World War II drama where the action centers around a single maneuver by a squad of GIs in retaliation against the force of the German Siegfried line. Reese joins a group of weary GIs unexpectedly ordered back into the line when on their way to a rest area. While most of the men withdraw from their positions facing a German pillbox at the far side of a mine-field, half a dozen men are left to protect a wide front. By various ruses, they manage to convince the Germans that a large force is still holding the position. Then Reese leads two of the men in an unauthorized and unsuccessful attack on the pillbox, in which the other two are killed; and when the main platoon returns, he is threatened with court-martial. Rather that face the disgrace, and in an attempt to show he was right, he makes a one-man attack on the pillbox.

Genre: Horror, Sci Fi, Thriller

Year: 2013

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Daniel Wu, Sharlto Copley, Christian Camargo, Karolina Wydra, Michael Nyqvist

Director: Sebastián Cordero

My Review: Another 'Found Footage' movie which begs the same question that we all have to ask: "Who shot this video?" Written by Philip Gelatt (six writing credits). Directed by Sebastiån Cordero (eight direction credits). Starring Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist, Christian Camargo and others. A small cast, a closed set, a small capsule, a tightly produced movie. The well made Sci-Fi drama takes advantage of its setting to create a sense of dread and hopelessness. It's a privately funded mission to Jupiter - We'll get there. One of these days. Could there really be life beneath the ice of Europa? Imagine the wondrous environment we might find! Like all found footage films (all the ones I've seen), there are obvious 'editing' problems - i.e. who's holding the camera now? That still seem to vex these producers. Unfortunately, that's the part that ruins most of these movies. I can't set it aside if its integral to the movie, and if I can't figure out who's holding the camera, and how did the video get recovered, then I've got problems believing the rest of the movie. When the movie is sci-fi, this makes it even more difficult to believe. The relatively junior cast doesn't hinder the movie as the performances are pretty good. The sets, visual effects and costumes were excellent. This movie didn't need the 'found footage' gimmick, and would have worked better without it. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Europa, Jupiter's moon is known to have potential to support life. Hence a manned mission is sent to Europa to search for data proving existence of life there. "Europa report" shows the difficult choices and sacrifices the crew has to make to fulfill their objective of sending valuable data to Earth for research.

Genre: Comedy

Year: 1981

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Lila Kaye

Director: John Landis

My Review: Unfortunately, my VHS copy is in very bad shape. The entire movie seems like it was shot in the dark. Despite the poor quality of my VHS copy, I still enjoyed this movie. Here's another John Landis directed movie (Director of Animal House). This time it's a humorous horror movie. Something that was fairly novel at the time. The acting was pretty good, but the character direction poor. There were plenty of laughs, and the special effects (for the time) were great. The transformation scenes were particularly graphic. The ending wasn't all that satisfying, but the middle was full of savory meats. The writing and dialog (Attacked by a Lunatic - Beware the Moon! - carnivorous lunar activities - Boys, keep off the moors, stick to the roads) were outstanding. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: Two American tourists in England are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

Genre: Drama

Year: 2010

Country: Italy, Canada

Rating:

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Macha Grenon, Paul Gross, Atom Egoyan, Mark Camacho

Director: Richard J. Lewis

My Review: A drama about the impulsive, implacable, irrational, loveable character 'Barney Panofsky' (who's name is unpronounceable). Screenplay written by Michael Konyves (based on a novel of same name by Mordecai Richler). Directed by Richard J. Lewis (Television director). Starring Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Jake Hoffman, Dustin Hoffman, Scott Speedman, Minnie Driver and others. A great cast, with well developed and believable characters. Paul Giamatti plays a normal/average man as he reflects on the highlights of his life. His loves, his obsessions, his highs and lows. I really like the writing, narration, acting and direction. The costumes, set design and make-up are all excellent as the movie progresses and the character ages. Paul Giamatti is once again an underappreciated and very effective dramatist. His acting alone makes this movie worth watching. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: Take a ride through the life and memories of Barney Panofsky, a hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed 65-year old hockey fanatic and television producer, as he reflects on his life's successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence come sharply into focus.