Killer Elite.
Jason Statham and Robert DeNiro are assassins hired by some Bin Laden type of guy to assassinate former SAS operatives (British guys) who killed 3 of his sons. His 4th son cannot claim his inheritance without retribution, so those SAS guys have to die.
Problem – They must confess their crimes on tape, and their deaths must appear to be accidental! That’s tough for any assassin, especially one who is trying to get out of the business.
Clive Owen is a former SAS operative who is part of a secret organization called The Feather Men – they have a light touch on everything that goes on, and they want to protect their men.
And thus is this epic suspense thriller that has the two men at odds with each other and for once, everyone is smart.
You ever watch a movie and say “why is that guy doing that, that is so dumb”, well that doesn’t happen here. This is a very well thought-out action film. Another good point is that the film makers are not trying to paint anyone as the hero. Both sides are good and bad, this is a realistic approach to the subject matter. I mean it was a war and England did its share of shady stuff, but then again, some innocent people are being killed in the name of revenge – or justice, depending on how you look at it.
In any case the movie allows you to choose your side freely, my side, Clive Owen – he rocks in this movie, but then again Statham was pretty cool too, so there you have it.
This is a must watch.
4/5
J-Man.
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass (JB and KG for short) are rockers that are trying to become famous by finding the legendary Pick of Destiny.
This film is sort of a “Blues Brothers” of rock. The band is real and perform in concerts, they have albums, and the movie is sort of a mock story of their characters from the band.
The music is amazing and there is a lot of funny stuff going on.
Take note: This is Jack Black from his old school days of Tenacious D, meaning that its not for kids!!!! He is still his goofy self, but has an edge to him and a potty mouth!
In short, I loved it! This was a great mock rock adventure and even though its not as epic as The Blues Brothers, its still approaching cult status (which it already has). I would definitely say get it, if you like this kind of thing.
Lots of cameos, great rock songs and JB and KG are as funny as ever.
I cried laughing at some parts. I will say that the ending song battle could have been a bit better, but all in all this is a great comedy!
5/5
J-Man.
Déjà vu.
Denzel Washington is trying to find Jim Caviezel a bomber who blew up an ocean liner full of people.
Val Kilmer is a guy who has this device that can view the past – but can you change the past thus changing the future?
Is déjà vu something that happens when you change the past?
Well this movie sort of answers these questions. Its directed by Tony Scott who has gone from making masterpieces to making good movies, but not great.
This is a good movie. Denzel is always good, and Tony Scott is also good.
So its all good.
That’s it.
3/5
J-Man.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
The movie is as long as the title but like the title it’s very interesting. If you look at the wording and how the names as positioned in the poster and font size – you’ll notice it’s not done by accident.
Also look at the placement of James and Ford (James is Brad Pitt, and Ford is Casey Affleck) in the poster – again very important.
After you watch this movie, you should examine this poster and see what more you can learn. I am very upset that this poster is NOT the bluray cover – but what can you do.
I borrowed this from the library and watched it Friday night. Saturday morning I had the soundtrack and bluray edition of the film. It’s 10 bucks at HMV and for 10 bucks it is the BEST deal in the store.
This film is amazing. I would say it’s the 2001 of Westerns. That of course means, that most will find it too long and boring (2hrs and 40mins) or wont “get it”, but for those who appreciate great films, then this is for you big time!
The music, cinematography, and acting are all amazing. The story is familiar; Jesse James is shot in the back by Robert Ford. That is known, but how much you know about the circumstances of the shooting (I knew nothing, Stephenstein knew the whole scenario) wont matter to the film. Actually, the more you know, the weirder the film is.
Take note that this movie isn’t a typical western. It is very realistic and very psychologically based. There is one gun fight, don’t reach for the popcorn, or you may miss it, it is just a character study of the two men.
The acting – TOP NOTCH. Pitt is unbelievable and shows that he is one hell of a good actor. I am sold on Pitt’s ability after this one. Casey Affleck was nominated for best supporting actor – he should’ve won for sure! His performance is excellent in this film.
Basically I loved this movie and I seriously recommend watching it. I would probably say see it twice – upon your second viewing you’ll start to see what the mind frame of Jesse James was and how the word “Coward” in the title may not refer to Ford.
This is a must own epic.
5/5
J-Man.
Gulliver’s Travels.
Modernized version of Gulliver and his travels. This time Jack Black is the big man in Lilliput and he has to help a slave find love, defeat an angry general and fight a giant robot.
This movie is for kids. Very simple, very straightforward. Nothing new to offer anyone really, but there were some fun moments – like when Jack Black has the little people recreate movies like Star Wars – the whole “Luke I am your father” scene was funny, and of course Black takes credit for creating Star Wars – he claims its his life story. So that was funny.
Some other moments too, Kiss playing Rock and Roll All Night etc.
The robot fight is very short, and not even really worth mentioning as a good point.
The movie isn’t a bad movie. Very nice colours, great visuals, and I like Jack Black in anything. I think he is a fun actor and I enjoyed his “performance” in this movie. I use quotes because it’s really just him being himself – but then again that’s why they got him for this film anyway.
It was a fun movie, but it’s really a movie made for very small children only. Anyone else will find it a passable time waster, but I’d stick with the Harryhausen version any day, and twice on Sunday.
3/5
J-Man.
Righteous Kill.
If this film had been made in 1945 it would have blown me away. The twist at the end, the way it was shot etc. But today, it’s a very predictable thriller that should’ve been much better considering the actors involved.
Its about Deniro and Pacino who are partners and are on the trail of a vigilante. During the film Deniro is narrating the story – and confessing to the vigilante killings. My wife watched about 12 minutes of this movie (by that time I had already guessed the ending) and was able to guess the ending.
I mean come on, there has to be more to it than this, and there wasn’t. There was the twist that I figured out and that’s all.
Knowing the twist didn’t really change up the movie too much, it was good. The acting was good, the story was passable, but it’s just not up to standards.
At least it was only 3 bucks on bluray!
This is for Deniro and Pacino fans only.
3/5
J-Man.
Faster.
This should’ve been Dwayne Johnsons (the Rock) first movie. It was much better than The Scorpion King and The Rundown. And it also marked the return of the Rock to action films.
If you recall he did a bunch of roody-poo movies after his initial action film run (loved Walking Tall!), but hey, he is still the Rock.
This film is a fast moving adrenaline surge that never dies down. The story is simple, The Rock’s brother was killed, he wants revenge. BUT the characters make this a lot better than just a mindless action movie.
Billy Bob Thorton and Carla Gugino are the cops after The Rock, Moon Bloodgood is Billy’s wife, and you have this Assassin character that is a perfectionist.
I don’t know what else to say, except that it was damn good! Their was actually a bit more story and depth than I thought there’d be, and I for one really liked it.
The Rock was great in it (then again, he is so charismatic that he almost made me go see that stupid tooth-fairy movie), but I mean I really thought his intensity was great! Another good point was that it wasn’t just about him. I mean the assassin guy gets a lot of screen time, and they develop his character and Billy Bob’s too.
Everyone is flawed in this movie, but some redeem themselves, and others don’t.
Really good movie, and not just for a B-action picture (which would’ve still been wicked too) but it’s a solid action film with good a plot.
Buy it! (it’s $9.00 bucks on bluray at walmart!)
4.5/5
J-Man.
It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, there hasn't been much to talk about. So, just to throw a curveball out there, how about I review this movie, which I assume no one saw or was going to see? That's right, when in doubt, go for the one that no one will probably watch unless someone takes a chance on it in one of the $4.99 bargain bins. It's the debt, starring a bunch of "Hey, I think I know that guy/girl" people and Helen Mirren. Everyone knows Helen Mirren. She won an Oscar and all.
You know what, though? I actually really liked the movie. Sure the plot twists and turns are predictable...at least if you've seen more than 10 movies in your life. I will say that the debt I thought was going to be the subject of the movie, based on the title...was not the actually debt the movie was about. There's actually a couple of debts in there. It had a lot more depth to it than I thought it would.
Acting has to be the keypoint with one of these movies and everyone delivered. I have to single out Sam Worthington, however. There's been some doubts about his acting ability, especially based on the remake of Clash of the Titans. I can report here that the boy actually CAN act. I think Clash was just a mess for a lot of reasons (though I didn't hate the movie like most) and to blame Sam for it is really unfair.
The suspense was pretty good, as well. Mind you, like I said, I knew what would happen before it did, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I write myself and I've watched a ton of movies, so it's not like I'm a novice, here. The movie kept me interested, it has probably the perfect monologue to sum up why the Nazi's hated the Jews (other than the standard craziness) and in the end, I was satisfied with how things worked out. I can't possibly ask for anything more.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
- Stephenstein
Battle Beyond the Stars.
Space opera version of Seven Samurai.
A planet is being attacked by John Saxon, and the guy from the Waltons (and Just Cause) has to get a bunch of guys together (Sybil Danning Robert Vaughn, George Peppard to name a few) and come back and kick ass.
This is a SUPER FUN MOVIE and I loved it! Love the genre, love all the characters, love the look of it.
This is my kind of movie and it’s not as cheese as Starcrash (which is great too)
Robert Vaughn is the best in this movie!
Simple story, but done in a fun tongue in cheek way!
4.5/5
J-Man.
