Thoroughly Enjoyable Remake of a Classic Western

3:10 To Yuma (2007)

Mangold's film is a tense, traditional western based on an Elmore Leonard story. Leonard is a solid writer, and gave the material upon which the film is based enough background and characterization to permit willful suspension of disbelief. Mangold's film does the same. Our protagonist and antagonist are, respectively, Dan Evans (Bale) and Ben Wade (Crowe). Evans is a would-be rancher and family-man whose family is suffering from a drought and a merciless landlord. Evans and his boys cross paths with notorious outlaw Ben Wade and his gang on their way into town to confront their landlord, and Wade whimsically lets them go. But the connection between these two men and Dan's eldest son is far from over. Eventually Dan will accept an offer made by a railroad agent to help escort Wade to a train headed to Yuma prison, while Wade's crew of murderers dogs their every step.

Two performances stood out for me - Bale and Ben Foster (Charlie Prince). Crowe was good, but it's not clear that he engaged with his role with his usual intensity. There are several very talented actors in supporting roles, and they each pull off the transition to the western genre quite nicely (Alan Tudyk, Logan Lerman, Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda and others). The film showcases the acting talent very well without losing sight of its straightforward but interesting story.

More often than not, good westerns are at least as much character studies as they are 'shoot-em-ups'. After all, it pretty close to impossible to enjoy a film in which anybody might drop dead at any given time without caring about the people you are watching die, or those doing the killing. Mangold achieves this by drawing on the simple strengths of the original material and allowing relationships to dominate both the story's development and the cinematography. For a western, there is a tremendous amount of dialog in this film, coupled with the usual meaningful stares. Wade is so wily and unpredictable that you really never know what to expect out of him, and his crew is headed up by his loyal and equally nihilistic protégé Charlie Prince. Dan Evans is his polar opposite, and Dan's son is an unusually accurate and complex Hollywood portrayal of a teenager. These and other relationships are the strengths and the medium of the film. When the camera isn't being used to build tension before a battle or showing us a gun-fight, it is establishing relationships and character. And many of the characters and relationships we see are surprising, ambiguous and more than a little ironic.

Highly recommended for western fans.

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An Epic Film

300 (2006)

It seems that everyone who hated this movie must have written a review, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents to even things up a bit. First, if you assume every movie is made simply to uppercut some sort of ideology into the audience's chest, then yes, it does seem very racist, xenophobic, and the like. However, this film is based on a freakin' comic book! The Spartans were some of the most skilled, nastiest, nationalistic fighters out there, and certainly had reason to be more driven and nationalistic than Persia's, which was not an army of individuals fighting for their land and families. Should they have been portrayed differently simply to satisfy the current political climate? Are you mad? The cheesy one-liners are also evidence that this movie IS BASED ON A COMIC BOOK. The exaggerated characters is further evidence that this movie IS BASED ON A COMIC BOOK. This is not a historical movie, it is a movie which seeks to put a rockstar, no-holds-barred spin on a particular historical event. It isn't attempting to be accurate, or balanced, or anything of the sort, and it SHOULDN'T, because that isn't it's purpose. It shouldn't be obligated to do anything of the sort. It's ENTERTAINMENT. Nothing more. And it's damn good entertainment, in my opinion.

Every scene is beautifully crafted. I found the slowdown to be stylistic and much of the dialogue, which is apparently cheesy and fascist to everyone else, to be at least somewhat inspiring, and certainly engaging. These Spartans were trained their entire lives to be warriors, their entire culture is built around success in battle, and you don't expect them to be quite skilled, much more so than a slave army, and quite patriotic? Also, this movie was from the point of view of the Spartans. How would this army have appeared to the Spartans? Wouldn't their stories now be over-exaggerated, over-simplified, almost legendary? There isn't a great amount of character development because this movie is about a battle, ONE battle, THE battle for the continuance of the Western world, and yes, IF the Spartans had been simply overwhelmed from the start, and if their Athenian allies hadn't completely CRUSHED the much larger Persian navy at sea, the West simply could not have existed in any similar manner as it has. And yes, the Western world is guilty of arrogance, overextending it's boundaries to the point of imperialism, however, it has given our world a plethora of all-too-important philosophical ideals that are simply irreplaceable if we want to live in a free society.

I realize I spent a great deal of my time being critical of other reviews, so I would like to take the time to apologize for perhaps wasting the time of someone who was simply searching for a detailed point of view on the film. I can assure you that the film is action-packed. The scenes are absolutely beautiful, every one of them. The film is gory, but artistically gory, if that makes any sense. You'll know what I mean. The story is simple, direct, and inspiring. The acting is excellent. The movie, overall, was a tremendous experience. I give it a 9/10

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An acting buffet of Will Smith

I Am Legend (2007)

Is it me, or does every movie that portrays the future, it's always some post-apocalyptic setting or the fall of man with man itself to blame? Not a lot to look forward to is it? Anyways, after years of being let down by so called scary zombie/virus movie genres and other blockbuster thriller debacles, "I Am Legend" really separates itself from the group.

Without giving too much way, Will Smith plays a sole survivor of a world dominating virus created by man that was originally created to cure cancer. Three years into the "new" world, Smith (who was a former doctor) dedicates his life to survival, finding a cure....and talking to mannequins. In order to find a cure he seeks out the infected, who only come out at night, and hoping to correct man's mistake.

"Legend" was the first truly scary movie I've seen in some time. Realism is the main factor in scary movies in my opinion. If it can happen, than that's pretty scary. Also, Smith's portrayal of despair and borderline insanity of three years of seclusion added to the effect. With the exception of his dog, Smith had no live contact with constant failure attempts of his cure only leading to his insanity. It had a "Cast Away" feel to it with his dog as to Hank's volleyball and his house reminding you of that stranded island.

The action/suspense scenes coupled with superb sound direction were also heart pounding and unexpected which added to the "scare" factor. Whenever Smith engaged with the zombie-like survivors, there was that claustrophobic feeling that I haven't felt since "Alien." My only real complaint was the overuse of CGI over real actors for these characters, but with their speed and strength that these things showed if may have not been possible.

"Legend" overall is one of the better movies of 2007 and a must see. Not Oscar-worthy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly entertaining, realistically tense and maybe even thought provoking.

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McClane's back, and you better believe it!

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

"Live Free or Die Hard" is quite a refreshing piece of entertainment this in the wake of so many effects-driven computer simulated action/fantasy films. With its silly title, smart-alleck lead character (Bruce Willis as Bruce Willis doing John McClane), and loads of old fashioned stunts involving cars, SUV's, elevator shafts, big rigs, helicopters, fighter jets, and collapsing highway bridges, this flick is a great piece of shattered-glass entertainment--a throwback to the late 1980's and early 1990's when movies like the original "Die Hard" changed the face of movie action.

There is some frustration to be had when you start to realize how much they toned down to achieve the friendly PG-13 rating. There's far less profanity flying, and while the body count is astronomically high (the collateral damage in this film in terms of human life and damaged property is tres magnifique), there's little blood and guts to be found. Still, die hard "Die Hard" action fans should rest assured knowing there will be plenty of funny one-liners, hot chicks (a wonderful Maggie Q as the bad-ass female villain and the scorchingly feisty and cute Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lucy McClane), super smart bad guys (a very good Timothy Olyphant), and jaw-dropping death-defying stunts.

Director Len Wiseman orchestrates the complicated stunts very well like a masterful puppeteer, which is a shock considering how god-awful his "Underworld" films were. The hand-to-hand human match-ups still bear some of his annoying hallmarks, but he's learned how to blow things up really well and has learned a thing or two about scope and editing in big action set-pieces. The excellent pacing and preposterousness of the stunts (especially the climax involving the fighter jet and the big rig) certainly put a smile on my face.

There's a whole lot of computer hacking related mumbo-jumbo involved in the story, and there's a lot of downtime for male bonding and "explanation" of the finer plot points that slows the film down some but is actually nice to see in a world now ruled by Michael Bay-style non-stop action. Plenty dumb, plenty thrilling, and plenty of fun, "Live Free or Die Hard" is a pleasant surprise considering how unnecessary this sequel seemed from conception.

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Horton Hears a Who is a Hit!

Horton Hears a Who! (2008)

remember when I first saw the commercial for this movie I had absolutely no interest in spending my $8 on a potentially terrible adaptation of a book I loved as I kid. Then I was talking to some friends and one of them sheepishly admitted to wanting to see Horton Hears a Who. It was almost as if a switch was flipped inside of me and I began thinking: "well, maybe it won't be THAT bad...and I DID love the book." So when that friend asked if I wanted to see it with him, I said yes...yes I would.

Well let me just tell you, the commercially do not do it justice. The previews make it look like it is full of stereotypical jokes and stereotypical characters and, well, I'll admit that they are there, but they're endearing. Yes, I said it! They're endearing! The entire movie was incredibly endearing BUT it was also bizarre and twisted...just like how I remember all Dr. Suess novels as being like.

Not only that, but it contained a higher level of understanding that Dr. Suess had in all of his storybooks. You know what I mean...take the Lorax, for example, which dealt with pressing environmental issues cleverly contained in an imaginary world in a children's book. Horton Hears a Who deals with things like anarchy, religion, totalitarianism, existentialism, democracy, and faith. The movie portrays it spotlessly. The movie is emotional and smart and funny. It's not funny all the time for an adult (it IS a kid's movie, after all), but it is clever and completely worth the time and money.

Do I recommend it? Heck yes I do!

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Disturbia

Disturbia (2007)

I had seen the trailer of the movie and found it appealing. Later I found that it is somewhat similar to Rear Window – the Hitchcock movie and is on the same lines; that made me go and see this movie.

It is the story of a young boy Kale (Shia LaBeouf) who is sentenced to 3 months of house arrest and finds ways to peep through his windows in neighbors' lives – one, the recently moved neighbor girl Ashley (Sarah Roemer) and another middle aged guy Mr.Turner (David Morse) who our young boy and his friend Ronnie (Aaron Yo) suspects as a killer. Is Mr.Turner a killer? Or this is just paranoia of our young gang? The Director D.J.Caruso – who has specialized in crime thrillers in past 4-5 movies, does a very decent job in keeping the audience engrossed in the narrative and unfolds the story slowly and nicely. The movie presents many aspects of drama, and takes us through a ride of varied sub-plots with good interest. There are a couple of minor annoying scenes – like the love aspect (quite unnecessary I thought, but may be required for today's young audiences) and the usual cliché of thriller movies. But overall the movie is entertaining.

Shia LaBeouf is not a great actor, but does a decent job, so does the Sarah Roemer, Aaron Yo and David Morse.

The camera work is excellent because it shows only that much which would make you eager to peep beyond the camera frame to see what is there – and that keeps you engaged. The music is okay.

Yes, the movie is not close to the classic Rear Window, but I should say that I liked the movie.

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Impressed and Very Satisfied

The Golden Compass (2007)

I am about 2 thirds of the way through the book when I decided to go to the limited engagement sneak preview of The Golden Compass. I feel that the film exceeded my expectations regardless of the structure change made by the film adaptation.

The story was changed moderately, but not too much to take away from the mood of the book, and was in no way detrimental to the flow of the story. Otherwise, this movie was a roller-coaster ride from beginning to end! The effects exceeded my expectations. The flow of the daemons in the film was almost completely convincing, however there were times when the speech of the animals had that typical "computer animated falseness" that you see in the cg cartoons. Other than some minor CG blemishes, the realism is some of the most convincing I have seen! The polar bear is completely lifelike and the animal morphing I felt was simply spectacular.

The flow of the film is very fast, which is a negative and a positive. While it really leaves us guessing or feeling unfulfilled in some of the crucial story elements, it also sets the pace for an exhilarating fast-paced adventure story that keeps you on the edge! The broad range of characters prevents the film from truly developing the characters that we really WANT to know. Since the book is a 3 part series, hopefully these characters will develop further in the next 2 films.

I must say that there were several parts in this film that surprised me, considering this is marketed as a family film. This is a dark film. This could frighten some small kids. I feel this film definitely belongs in the pg-13 rating, and might even be a bit much for a 13 year old for the more sheltering type parents. Not only can it be conceived as very violent, there are some very adult themes that could be considered questionable.

Overall, this is a film I would like to see again, and I am DYING to see the next film in the series. I walked out of this film excited, satisfied and wanting more. Might want to leave the young ones at home, but you won't regretting fighting for front row seats on a Friday night for this flick.

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Amazingly Good

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
I am quite the avid movie watcher and I have to say this movie has got to be one of the best I have ever seen. Now I haven't read the book and I am sure it doesn't follow the book very well. After all most movies that go from book to film don't follow the book well at all.

I went in this film knowing a little about the Boleyn girls aside from the what my history teacher taught me about all six of Henry VIII wives. I must say memorizing all six names for that test came in handy and helped me draw some connections.

This movie was almost perfectly casted. Natalie Portman did a stunning job as Anne Boleyn and I hope to see she gets recognized for this role. Scarlett Johansson did a great job as well and really gives you a different perspective on Anne Boleyn while this movie portrays Mary as more of the innocent younger sister. While Natalie plays Anne to seem cruel and evil, in a way that I would have maybe never pictured Anne. Jim Sturgess, a rising star since Across the Universe, nailed his role. He is one to watch in the future as he shows undeniable talent. His chemistry between his character George Boleyn and sister Anne was amazingly good and believable. Seeing his character, George being dragged to be executed tore at my heart and made me cry as well as Anne's. I don't think that I have ever fallen in love with characters in a movie more till I saw this movie. Eric Bana also did a great job, however I think he could have captured the character of Henry VIII a little better. In all the history books, he seemed like such a ladies man and yet so incredibly evil. Which in some sense he captured but I still think he could have done better. The love scenes were done very tastefully showed the passion and didn't really show anything offensive.

Over all I think this movie was very good. I highly recommend it to anyone. Some say that it was a poorly penned script but I think that it was beautifully written capturing the heart of each character. Some say that it sped to quickly through some parts, I somewhat agree, but come on you can't keep the audience watching forever. The actors and actresses were almost perfectly cast, each excelled in their role. Overall a great movie.

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Transformers fans will be pleased! Incredible Movie!

Transformers (2007)
Michael Bay doesn't disappointed us. I've seen Transformers in a press screening today, and I'm under the film's impression right now. The robots are cool as much as they can be. Bay's vision about the cult-comic and animation of the eighties has become one of the greatest effect-movie of all time. However I must disapprove that the Decepticons lost their personality, they're just mainly destroying and killing machines, Megatron and Starscream are more complex characters like they're featured in the movie. But I don't want to tease. Spielberg and Bay has created a gigantic, spectacular and funny summer blockbuster movie, that the sequel manufacturer studios can consider as an example. So, Transformers is more than meets the eye! And by the way OPTIMUS RULES!!!!

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Simply spectacular

No Country For Old Men (2007)
If you like films that literally take your breath away, then this goes to the top of the list.

As stated elsewhere, Javier Bardem is so spectacularly evil and menacing that, if I were Mrs Bardem, I'd be worried about him coming home at night. The man exuded controlled evil, and I found myself not breathing when he came onto screen, yet couldn't take my eyes from him - a truly mesmerising presence.

Tommy Lee Jones turns in a belter of a performance, and mention should also be made of Kelly MacDonald who nails a faultless Texan accent alongside a multi-layered performance (despite the paucity of her screen time).

Beautifully shot, as you would expect, and with some (welcome) moments of humour amongst the gore, this is a very very fine film. Miss it at your peril, because when those little golden men are being handed out next year in LA, I predict a lot of them will be going to this film. A belter.

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Loved PS I Love You!!!,

p.s I Love You (2007)
I was lucky enough to get advance screening tickets to go see this movie. I loved it! It is very funny and very romantic. It stars Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler (that gorgeous hunk of man who starred in 300, if you haven't seen it--go rent it).

At the start of the movie, Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry Kennedy (Gerard Butler) are married and they are having a marital spat, which, trust me, is hilarious. Let's just say they end the fight with him doing a very funny striptease. In the next scene, we find that he has died. Holly is so bereaved she is unable to function but soon letters start arriving--from Gerry. He spaces the letters about a month apart and in each letter he teaches Holly how to get on with the business of living.

Her ensuing adventures with best friends, Lisa Kudrow and Lisa Gershon are hilarious. Along the way, she meets Harry Connick, Jr. and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who played Denny in Grey's Anatomy). The supporting cast is wonderful (especially the hilarious Lisa Kudrow). The movie is very funny, much more funny than sad. And Gerard Butler is quite terrific in it (and I am not just saying that because I am a fan). He is romantic, sexy, and just plain sweet. The striptease scene alone is worth the price of admission. I never laughed so hard.

Hilary Swank is very, very good. She and Gerry have really great chemistry. In the scenes they have together, you totally see how much in love they are with each other and why Holly is so bereaved when he dies. Although the movie does stray from the book at times, in my opinion it's an improvement. For example, Gerard Butler is not only in the first 10 minutes or so of the movie, but he is also in it quite a bit through flashbacks and such. Plus you get to hear him sing (which he has not done in a movie since "The Phantom of the Opera").

So if you get a chance this holiday season, go see this wonderful romantic, funny movie. You will love it!

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