Shooter

As conspiracy theory stories go, this one is up there among some of the best. "If you want your man dead, what better way than to stand him next to the President". As action movies stories go this a pretty good one, but not up quite so high. That is not a bad thing however, it just means the director, Antoine Fugua, did not over-do it. I respect that.

Mark Wahlberg pulls his roll off well as a loner marine sniper who feels the country has its back on him so he returns the favor. Considered expendable and a pawn, he retreats to the mountains of Wyoming. One of the interesting parts of this story is to try and figure out who the pawns are and who the chess players are. It's not terribly difficult, but is presented in a very interesting way.

This movie qualifies as "a good story well told". The ending is a little sloppy however, leaving more questions than answers.

Ned Beatty is a wonderfully fun dirty senator. Kate Mara (Brokeback Mountain and We Are Marshall) is pretty fun to watch and a pleasant surprise. Danny Glover almost overplays his part, and comes off a little stiff at times, but is believeable.

Watch it with someone who thinks faster than you do.

After The Wedding

If you like foreign language films, indy films, thought-provoking family dramas, or surprisingly great acting, you'll like "After The Wedding". If on the other hand, you don't like at least 3 of those 4 things, I don't recommend this movie.


Partly in English partially in Dutch, you'll most likely need the subtitles for even the English parts because the accents are so thick. Some people don't like sub-titles. Unless you are multi-lingual with strong Germanic language skills, you must use the subtitles.


If you think you understand each character midway through the movie, guess again. I found myself shocked at how wrong I was about the main character's motivations and choices as the story unfolded. The tag line for the movie is "Champagne is poured... secrets are spilled". Very appropriate.


Danish director Susanne Bier crafts a wonderful look into the window of the Scandinavian soul, by focusing on the eyes of each main character. The effect is delightful. Mads Mikkelsen (bad guy in most recent Bond film, Casino Royale) and Rolf Lassgard show a range of emotion uncommon in Swedes, at least those in my family.


Watch this movie with someone who is not in a hurry.

Bourne Ultimatum - WOW

"The Bourne Ultimatum" has been called the best action spy thriller of all time. While I may not yet be willing to go that far, I can say it raises the bar to a new height. The first hour is non-stop, rapid edit, action. You must pay attention. At the 1 hour and 10 minute mark, the movie slows down and you can catch your breath, literally. But, be ready with the pause button before that so you can make sure you catch every little nuance. There are tons.

You do not need to have seen the 2 previous Bourne movies, but it would certainly help. I highly recommend both before seeing this 3rd.

Matt Damon is the ultimate smart tough guy. Joan Allen (Pleasantville) and Julia Stiles (um, okay this Bourne series is the only thing she has done that I liked) make great accomplices without the romantic involvement so many other stories get hung up on.

This movie "feels" high tech without the use of special effects. I love that. This movie expects you to think ahead, and think back. I love that too. In fact, this movie does not "give" you anything. It's much more like a ride at your favorite theme park. Get on, strap in, hang on, ride the twists and turns.

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Sometimes you have to dig through a lot of dirt to find a good gem. "The Bourne Ultimatum" is a great popcorn and soda movie. Watch it with someone who knows how to enjoy something like this or they'll ruin it for both of you.

City of Angels

Jumping on the angel-related entertainment bandwagon in 1998, Warner Brothers released this wonderfully odd boy-meets-girl story. Nicolas Cage and Dennis Franz (of NYPD Blue) play angels, and Meg Ryan plays a love-frustrated doctor who listens to Jimi Hendrix while doing open-heart surgery. Sound fun enough?

Actually, the Franz character is a "fallen" angel who becomes mortal, and as such, a patient of the Ryan doctor character. Cage's angel character is the kind that comes to take the doctor's patients away. Yeah, I know, it gets better the more often you watch it though.

It's the classic story. Boy angel meets girl doctor and wants her to love him the way he loves her. Old angel recognizes new angel and teaches him how to become mortal. Falling. Everyone falls for everyone in the end. The word-plays are plentiful in this story.

The soundtrack is outstanding. A little something for everyone.

Shot in various LA (city of angels) area locations, it's fun for us locals to think about what and who may actually be just beyond the veil. Angels are everywhere according to this story, and who knows, may not be that far from reality. Watching the sun rise or set at the beach has never felt quite the same for me since seeing this movie. Better for sure.

Be warned however, it is a tear-jerker of the highest form. You can't help but like the characters regardless of whether you believe in angels or not. So be prepared with absorbent long sleeves. Either your own or the person(s) you choose to watch this with, real or imagined.

Pay It Forward

The concept for this movie was so poignant, and so valid, so timely and timeless, that one of the major insurance companies uses it 7 years later for an ad campaign. The idea is fairly simple; take the Golden Rule, and notch is up a bit. Do something really nice for 3 people who are expected to the same. The expanding wave of good will is supposed to consume society like a tsunami.

I liked this movie more for the concept than for the acting however. Don't get me wrong, the cast is wonderful. Haley Joel Osment, Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Jim Caviezel (Mel Gibson's Jesus), Angie Dickinson, Jay Mohr, and even Jon Bon Jovi all do an acceptable job, and are believable. But, they let the story carry the weight rather than strength of performance.

It is a feel-good movie and will probably make you cry with it's slightly sappy ending. But, it's worth the watch, again or for the first time, just to get the Utopian idea into the subconscious.

Hook

I am amazed at how many people I talk to who have never seen this movie. Talk about star power? Spielberg directs Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Phil Collins (yes, of Genesis), Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall for you Potter fans), and a very young Gwyneth Paltrow.

Even if you are not a fan of the Pan, you should see this movie just for the theatrical one-liners. There are several which, once they have entered your psyche, may remain part of your personal vernacular forever.

"I think I just had an apostrophe"

"Bad form"

"Your brains been junktified"

And so on. How many more will you adopt? Who knows.

If you do however love the Pan story and have not seen this movie, please see it before you grow up. Your path to grown-up status should be significantly corrected.

If it has been some time since you've seen it, get it and watch it with people you like to have fun with. Kids love this movie for the story and near constant action. Oh, and there is a great food fight. Adults who used to be kids love this movie for the reminders is sends.

We all age chronologically, that is a law of nature. There is no law however, that says we must extinguish the inner child. Let yours out for a little while and see this movie.

Chocolat

Ever wanted to change the world? This movie will inspire you. If you have not already seen it, you are in for a treat. Juliette Binoche is magical, and her supporting cast, which includes greats such as Dame Judi Dench, Lena Olin, and Johnny Depp all weave together a delicious dramedy.

It is a story of good versus evil, right versus left, old versus new, and yin versus yang. The parties all discover that it is only when they embrace each other that they can stand themselves. Even if you don't have an addiction to chocolate, you will find this movie intoxicating. The more often you watch it, the more you learn from it.

Nominated for best picture and 4 other academy awards in 2001, "Chocolat" was a risky venture. The script and setting were better suited to Masterpiece Theater audiences, but Disney, via it's Miramax label, decided to give the viewing public a taste of smart story-telling that raised the bar for other studios.

Eating popcorn during this movie seems odd, so choose the milk duds or bon bons instead. It is a great movie to watch in front of the fire on a dark and stormy night.

Shoot Em Up & War

Lest anyone think I gave up on my mission to bring comments on worthwhile DVD movies, I should provide some kind of update. Since my last post it is not that I've been on vacation, nor that there were holidays to celebrate. It is not that there are not good movies recently released or old ones to share with you.

It IS however, combination of holidays and vacations mixed with the fact that I've not seen anything worth talking about. That lack of good material is purely the fault of my bad choices on Netflix for sure.

"War", with Michael Stratham and Jet Li is a sad attempt to tell an otherwise interesting story about an FBI Agent's quest to revenge his partners assignation by Asian gangsters. I assume you can guess who plays whom? It is set in San Francisco which has made for fun chase scenes since the days of Steve McQueen, but the acting is atrocious. None of the Asian gangsters I know talk that way. I dislike Hollywood's' use of mechanical machismo to portray Asian thugs. "War" has an unexpected plot twist at the end, twice in fact, but that is not enough to make it worth the watch.

On the other hand, if you rent "Shoot Em Up" expecting to get a dazzling display of action adventure thrills, you'll probably be disappointed. But, if you approach "Shoot Em Up" as a satire on every such movie ever made, you are in for quite a ride. Every cliche, and a few I had not seen before, were there and spoofed. I'm not sure how Clive Owen keeps a straight face through the script, or how Paul Giamati keeps from tossing his cookies, but they both pull it off and make it fun to watch.