As lean and laconic as its director, Clint Eastwood’s SULLY is a gripping but (mostly) unsentimental retelling of how Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger safely landed his stricken American Airlines plane in the Hudson River after suffering a bird strike on January 15, 2009. To the public, and the lives of the passengers he saved, he was… Read More »
LONDON HAS FALLEN
Full disclosure, I was not a fan of OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, the previous film exploring the victim/savior relationship between President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and crack Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). Thus, I was not hoping for much when I approached LONDON HAS FALLEN. The trick to staying sane in this business is… Read More »
BATTLE LOS ANGELES
BATTLE LOS ANGELES is a rousing and rip-roaring action flick expertly crafted by people who know what they are doing. And by that, is meant that rather than actively fighting the clichés inherent in this genre, they have consciously, even joyously, embraced them. By doing so, they revisit why the clichés have persisted, and by… Read More »
THE RUM DIARY
THE RUM DIARY is suffused with the warm glow of star Johnny Depps deep and abiding affection for Hunter S. Thompson, the writer of the book on which the film is based, and the model for its protagonist, Kemp, played by Depp himself. Its Depps second time playing Thompson, the first being in Terry Gilliams… Read More »
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
Antoine Fuqua has delivered many fine films that deal with the harsh, gritty, and dangerous aspects of the human condition. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN is not one of them. This story is one of a terrorist attack on the seat of government, but the only real danger presented is killing the audiences will to live by… Read More »
I, FRANKENTSTEIN
I, FRANKENTEIN is the brainchild, via the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel, of Stuart Beattie, the driving force behind the improbably successful UNDERWORLD franchise. I say improbably because if you have seen one UNDERWORLD flick, you have by extension seen them all. I, FRANKENSTEIN is all but indistinguishable from its cinematic sibling, right down to the… Read More »
THE CORE
Somewhere in THE CORE there is a neat-o flick trying to get out. Unfortunately, its stymied by cliché characters and a series of hackneyed action-adventure plot points that all but kill any joy we might have found in the otherwise fun concept and occasional burst of crisp dialogue. The premise is that the Earths outer core,… Read More »
PAYCHECK
Click here to listen to the interview with John Woo.After a brief excursion into the uncertain waters of reel history with WINDTALKERS, John Woo has returned to the action/martial arts genre he does so well with PAYCHECK. Based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, it starts with the classic Hitchcock formula of a… Read More »
SUSPECT ZERO
Click here to listen to the interview with Aaron Eckhart.My hunch is that people will either adore or despise SUSPECT ZERO. Its a film that doesnt play by the rules, but does pack an enormous wallop that starts in the first scene and doesnt let up for a second. This twisted tale of good and… Read More »
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Aaron Eckhart should have been a much bigger movie star than he is by now. He’s got the dazzling good looks and the killer charisma required, but after several first-rate performances in little films (THE COMPANY OF MEN, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS), fine journeyman’s work playing second-fiddle to powerhouse female leads (Julia Roberts’ boyfriend in… Read More »