Movie Review: The Kingdom
The Kingdom (2007)–* America kicks some major ass, but when it does, it contributes to an unending cycle of violence. That’s the basic idea behind The Kingdom, a disturbingly stupid political action film from Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg. While it targets the zealous fans of 24 and Tom Clancy, The Kingdom grounds itself in a reality it knows nothing about. Instead of trying to be obvious entertainment like the above mentioned works, it attempts to be an film that says something. It fails. In the wake of a major terrorist attack on an American Housing Complex in Saudia Arabia, FBI investigative team leader Ronald Fluery (Jamie Foxx) insists on putting American boots on the ground. The State Department and the Attorney General are adamantly against having a U.S. presence on Saudi soil, knowing it will rile the...
Read MoreQuickie: 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)–***1/2 Quickie Review Dan Evans is a defeated rancher who is days away from loosing his farm to a neighboring land owner. When he gets the opportunity to earn a quick $200 by escorting the murderous robber Ben Wade to a train headed for federal prison, the usually safe Evans takes a chance on the fool’s errand. A well-composed and dramatic western, 3:10 to Yuma proves to be the always solid James Mangold’s best film to date. All around great performances are highlighted by Christian Bale’s harrowing turn as the rancher, Evans. A thrill for classic western fans. Also starring Russell Crowe as Ben Wade with Ben Foster and Peter...
Read MoreMovie Review: Halloween (2007)
Halloween (2007)–No Stars Rob Zombie only makes bad movies. His film House of 1,000 Corpses, an ultra-violent ripoff of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and his unwatchable follow-up, The Devil’s Rejects, are disasters. But neither of those films can prepare anyone for the coup de grâce Zombie deals audiences unlucky enough to experience his remake of the iconic horror film Halloween. Zombie’s Halloween is everything a horror film, or any film for that matter, shouldn’t be. It’s unconscionably pornographic, more suited for Grindhouse 2 than for any standard release. It’s written like an anti-social high school sophomore’s creative writing project, with little imagination and less inspiration. Worst of all, it demystifies the legendary cinema icon Michael Myers, a character who was only terrifying when we didn’t know anything about him. Take the first half of the film. We meet...
Read MoreQuickie: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)–*** Quickie Review After being laid off from his job as a Boeing engineer, Steve Wiebe utilizes his obsessive personality and engineering-oriented mind to beat world champion Donkey Kong player Billy Mitchell’s high score. But Mitchell and his gang of devotees won’t let Wiebe take Billy’s record away that easily. An enthralling, emotional documentary, The King of Kong may be one of the best competition (sports?) films ever created. Rarely does any movie demand so much investment in its characters while so effortlessly telling their story. Sports genre techniques, flawless editing and a cast of characters too bizarre to be made up results in a cinematic gem you have to...
Read MoreMovie Review: Exiled
Exiled (2007)–**1/2 Johnnie To owes a debt to Sam Peckinpah. To’s film Exiled, which premieres in New York City today, is a more stylish, less substantive update of the Peckinpah classic The Wild Bunch. On first read, that last line doesn’t sound like a solid indictment of the film’s flash-over-substance mentality. For genre fans, it probably never will. What this film needed, however, was Peckinpah’s consciousness, if only to go beyond being simply an above average Asian crime film. But Exiled is above average. The film follows five friends whose lives have been pulled in different directions. Two of the friends, Blaze (Anthony Wong) and Fat (Lam Set), are hired by the Hong Kong crime lord Boss Fay (Simon Yam) to kill Wo (Nick Cheung). Two other friends, Tai (Francis Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung), are there to protect...
Read MoreQuickie: Resurrecting the Champ
Resurrecting the Champ (2007)–** Quickie Review A fact-driven boxing beat reporter tries to break out of his famous sportscaster father’s shadow by writing a heartbreaking feature on a homeless man who claims to be a legendary boxer. An earnest, but unaffecting sport drama, this Rod Lurie picture has all the skill of the reporter this film follows; it’s a straight-forward, informational drama. Samuel L. Jackson is superb as the homeless boxer, as is Josh Hartnett as the reporter/father trying to impress his own son. Still, the audience would be better served reading the Denver Times Magazine articles on which this feature is based than watching the movie and all of its easy, over-sentimental...
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