De Niro and Pacino make it a good movie…

Righteous Kill (2008)

FINALLY! DeNiro! Pacino! Together! For more than one scene! I couldn't wait. I'm also happy to say that, while the film won't be winning any Oscars, it isn't bad by any means, and is certainly an improvement over Pacino and director Jon Avnet's last film, 88 Minutes. Avnet is growing as a filmmaker, and has learned from past mistakes. Righteous Kill is an acceptable mystery film, and of course, features two great performances from two of the greatest of all time.

Righteous Kill, despite having the two leads that it does, is really a director's film, and Jon Avnet cloaks the film in a black blanket of mystery very well. While the main plot twist of the film (and oh, there are many of them) is sort of obvious, the fact that there's more to it than that really helps the film and saves it from oblivion.

What I liked most about the film, however, was the casting of DeNiro in a role Pacino would normally play (the hotheaded cop who just can't seem to keep his mouth shut or stop cursing), and Pacino in a role DeNiro would normally play (the reserved, yet silently intense friend). The film is split up into two parts, each showcasing the talents of one of the legends. Unfortunately, I can't really describe the performances in a deep way without coming close to spoilers, but rest assured, both are excellent. John Leguizamo is a nice addition as a hot headed detective at odds with DeNiro, and Carla Gugino as the eye candy was not a mistake by any means. I have no comment on the inclusion of 50 Cent in this film. Thankfully, he doesn't have a ton of screen time.

The script of the film, on paper, isn't really good, but there's a few techniques that really work on screen, such as the main characters' nicknames, and the feeling that almost everyone in the film is bad. I definitely like Avnet a little more now. DeNiro and Pacino share a wealth of screen time and have a lot of meat to chew on as actors, especially DeNiro, who turns up the intensity and the New York accent (it's a little stronger here than it normally is). While the film won't go down as legendary, I think every fan of both actors will be pleased and will smile at numerous moments just because these two are playing off each other so often, and so well.

My complaints lie with the emotional feel of the film, which I felt wasn't strong enough. I wanted to shed tears in the end, but for some reason, I couldn't. I won't say the acting in the climax could have been stronger, but had it been done in a different way, I might have liked it a bit more. All in all, Righteous Kill is not a bad film, as it managed to keep my attention and hold me in suspense for it's duration without making me feel frustrated. It definitely requires your full attention, and may even require a couple of viewings.

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Mirrors: Top-class terror

Mirrors (2008)

Looking at the filmography of Alexandre Aja, he's becoming dangerously close to being branded as a director who specializes in remakes of films that can allow him to amplify the original gore factor, and one who hopefully doesn't position himself, intentionally or otherwise, such that audiences would come to expect a twist in every single one of his movies.

While I'd enjoy his Haute Tension and his version and update of The Hills Have Eyes, he seemed to have reined himself in with Mirrors, where allowance for violent excesses was minimized and allocated to creating mood and tension, which succeeded as the movie went along, and plodded forward during many moments in the beginning when Kiefer Sutherland's Ben Carson began probing the mystery of his workplace. You can just about sense Aja's glee when it came to scenes that called for gore, and at times succumbed to cheap scares which were rather successful.

However, Aja can't decide if this was going to be an all out spiritual spook fest, or a monster movie, and that confusion resulted in an actual schizophrenia, where one ending is insufficient, and you'd need two endings in order to provide for some bang for the buck. It's as if it ran on multiple fronts which could be delinked from one another, and if not for the characters' relationships, it could well be a series of shorts pasted together with the mirrors being running motifs where spirits reside in, and can determine life or death, with a concept quite refreshing, but again, unoriginal since it's a Hollywood adaptation.

While Aja might seem to want to tread back to familiar territory at every opportunity at gore, Keifer Sutherland too can't seem to break too far away from his cop related roles for the big screen, save for lending his voice in Phone Booth, his recent The Sentinel and this one still had his character come from the force. Perhaps it's lazy casting on the filmmakers' part in getting someone already familiar with the territory so that audiences can immediate latch onto his Jack Bauer persona, and have it plain sailing from there. And no matter how Sutherland tries to provide a new dimension to his mentally pained ex-cop, he just can't shake Bauer off, which became as niggling as the persistent spirits that call out for his attention.

And that familiarity didn't just stop with the director and the lead actor, as it extended toward the supporting appearance by Amy Smart, though in a not so surprising role of being here just to shed her clothes. I thought she could be a decent actress without having to resort to such "tricks", but I guess filmmakers from Crank to Mirrors still haven't got enough of her Road Trip stint. Again, very dangerous ground to tread on for the mentioned - one for gory remakes, one for cop roles, and one a naked flowervase.

Granted there were some fine moments courtesy of special effects, with misbehaving mirror images and the way characters get dispatched - slow, painful and plenty of blood - but those looking for occasionally fine scary moments may find them in Mirrors. I've not seen the original 2003 Korean movie Into the Mirror which this movie is based upon, but given the cheeky finale, I just might be interested to check out the Korean version. For now, I'd start to think about those palm prints left behind in mirrors as they will never look the same again.

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The Incredible Hulk is back....,

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The Ang Lee take on The Hulk was... disappointing. There was a lot of complains from critics, fans and general audience alike that The Hulk from 2003 was too psychological and not humorous enough. Good news here is that the new Hulk-movie (a re-boot after just one film) is more action-oriented, but the psychological aspects of The Hulk is not completely ignored. Which I think is a good thing, as when you think about it, The Hulk is a quite psychologically interesting character. It's about the beast within, and great powers that the possessor unfortunately can't control. The Hulk is quite different from other super-heroes, as he creates more damage against general society than against super-villains (maybe I shouldn't talk too much about what kind of super-hero Hulk is, as I've never actually read the comics).

The beginning credits haven't even ended before we catch a glimpse of the experiment that Bruce Banner performs on himself and the subsequent destruction that Hulk causes in the laboratory. The origins isn't explained throughoutly before well into the movie, which is not a bad thing, because that separates it from a lot of other super-hero flicks where everything is told chronologically. Besides, as clichéd the super-hero genre and comics is at times, we don't need that much of an explanation. Experiment went wrong. Nuff said.

Edward Norton (who is producer as well as star of this film) is clearly a fan of The Hulk comics, as there is many humorous (and to people unfamiliar with the character from before-hand, probably quite unnoticeable) references to the comics and the cheesy 70's and 80's Hulk movies, in the form of a Lou Ferrigno-cameo. Speaking of cameos, as always, Stan Lee makes a cameo in another Marvel-movie. When you see a Marvel-movie for the first time, you can play the game "Where's Stan Lee?", which is similar to "Where's Waldo?". The first person to find him can say the following sentence out loud in the theater: "Look, it's Stan Lee!" Despite of Norton clearly being a fan, there has been made one notable change, which is one of the most well-known characteristics of The Hulk. In the comics and earlier movies, BB turns into The Hulk because of anger or fear, while here, his pulse has to reach 200. While anger and fear is the things that most effectively triggers the "Hulk-gene" in BB, he could turn into The Hulk just by running really fast for a while. I don't think the change was for the better, as I believe The Hulk is really a metaphor for the blind rage in humans, and the fact that other things can now turn him into The Hulk make that metaphor loose a bit of power. The pulse-thing may make more logical sense, but did a big, green, muscular giant make that much sense in the first place? Another thing that's flawed about the new Hulk movie is the relationship between Elizabeth Ross and Bruce Banner. I didn't feel a chemistry nor did I feel that these two people had a history or that she had much importance, although she actually do have a lot of significance in the film.


The action-scenes is where this film shines. A giant, green and angry mutant thing versus a third of the American Army. The same giant, green and angry mutant thing versus a even bigger, gray and power-exploiting mutant thing. Along with wrecked cars lying in the street that they use to hit each other with, this is great fun that does really good on the big screen.

Made by a fan, for fans and general audience alike. Mixed reviews have proved that this film apparently isn't for everyone, but try to mention one movie that is for everybody, and everybody alike, and I'll give you a big kiss on the mouth, no matter what gender or age.

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"Death Race" a lot of death, some racing, and a lot of fun

Death Race (2008)

"Death Race" puts me in a moral dilemma. Its deliberately trashy, shallow and inept, and for some reason I still like it. Making my feelings even more conflicted is the fact that it was directed by Paul W.S Anderson, a director who tries to turn movies into video games, and always fails. But as they say in Hollywood "you're only as good as your last picture" so Anderson is as good as anyone right now.

Not too far into the future our economy has collapsed (maybe McCain won), poverty reigns supreme and crime has become unstoppable. The prisons are filled beyond capacity, and Americas number one form of entertainment is watching the inmates fight to the death. The fights to the death got old and America needed something new. Death Race was invented. The concept is the same as death fighting, only you slug it out in an armor plated car with machine guns. The last man alive wins, and if you win enough races, you win your freedom.

Enter Jensen Ames, a former Nascar driver prior to his prison conviction, who loses his job when the local steel mill is closed. He goes home to his wife and infant daughter, only to have a masked man break in and kill his wife. Ames is framed for the crime and sent to prison.

Ames is sent to prison, where the warden Hennessey, played with excellent restraint by Joan Allen, informs him that he must replace Frankenstein, the most popular death racer, if he is ever to leave the prison. Ames agrees, and the games begin.

As a satire "Death Race" completely miss fires. The opening prologue informs us of the downfall of American society, and its never brought up again. Were informed that Death Race has become more popular then the Super Bowl with more then seventy million viewers but we never see one of those people watching. For some reason the drivers are paired with sexy women to navigate, even though they have a pit crew to do that. The women are in it for ratings, to make a statement about our own for sex as well as violence, but the viewers cant see the women inside the cars, so how do they help ratings? Just a few examples of the missed satire.

But this isn't an Oliver Stone movie. When you buy a ticket to see "Death Race", you want to see some death and some racing. And you get both, but mostly death. The racing scenes are electrifying. The combination of great stunt work, special effects and art direction give this films action the boost of adrenaline it craves. Andersons vision is to immerse us in a "Twisted Metal" video game, and he pulls it off with magnificent results. He captures the sadistic mentality of "Twisted Metal" perfectly. One driver turns his car around just to shoot another driver.

"You cant drive backwards" his partner remarks…I beg to differ. That scene will remind "Grand Theft Auto" fans of many rampages.

Anderson keeps his eyes on the finish line and "Death Race" moves towards its conclusion in a heart beat. Despite my immersion in the story, it was way too predictable. The framed for murder set up is too obvious, and before you can even figure it out for yourself they give it away. And as for the ending, only a few things can happen at the end a prison movie, and you know what they are. But despite the twists you can see coming a mile away, they're still satisfying. "Death Race" is one of the few examples where a bad script can become a good movie.

The acting is wonderful all around. Jason Statham is a read deal action super star. He's got the physique of Van Damme and a million times the acting ability. His character's quest to see his daughter gives the film its only sliver of humanity, and all a prison movie needs is a sliver.

Joan Allen as the warden plays her character so tightly she could probably crack a cashew with her but cheeks. Hennessey is so tightly wound I often wondered is she was going to implode. And towards the end she gets a chance to deliver some perfectly timed profanity. Maybe the last four letter words you;; ever hear out of her mouth.

Newcomer Natalie Martinez has infinite sex appeal as Case, the sexy vixen who rides in the passenger seat beside Ames. But more then a pretty face she gets a chance to act, and proves shell be around for years to come.

Ian McShane is perfect as the simply named Coach. His job is to coach. His weathered face and gravelly voice perfectly fit's the prototype of a man who's spent a long time in prison. But he was good in a stinker like "Hot Rod", so its no surprise here.

Director Paul W.S Anderson has always attempted to make his films into video games, and "Death Race" really does play like a video game. That's the films intention and it works. It satisfies the blood lust lurking deep within us all. Society hasn't gotten to the point where we watch snuff films but watching fictional people kill each other is still loads of fun, and so is "Death Race".

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Instant Classic, Carell Rocks

Get Smart (2008)

With loads of action, quirky humor, jazzy music, and shoe phones, Get Smart has admirably mimicked the blend of genres and innovations that made the original series so memorable, and while die-hard fans will likely pick apart what this re-envisioning doesn't get right, it's almost impossible not to laugh at Steve Carell's ludicrous on screen antics.

Over-analyzing analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) dreams of becoming an official Agent for the top secret government organization CONTROL, and longs to execute action-packed spy missions like his idol, the charismatic Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). When CONTROL headquarters is attacked by longtime nemesis group KAOS and many of the Agents' identities are compromised, Smart is promoted to Agent 86 and partners with the unwilling Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to thwart the villainous group's latest plan for world domination.

Whether or not Steve Carell perfectly embodies Maxwell Smart, he certainly knows how to handle his comedy. Excelling at both physical and verbal-stemmed laughs, Carell makes the tumbles look as easy as his notable style of quick quips and clever observations, and the funnyman seems to garner chortles even when the rest of the crew can't quite muster an equal energy. Anne Hathaway provides the good looks and serious attitude to counter Agent 86's incessant jokes, and the pair's on screen chemistry gels nicely throughout the majority of the film. A few slips and failed retorts interrupt the flow of their characters' progressions, but are quickly forgotten in the grand scheme. Alan Arkin furnishes several of the funniest moments in the movie and the Academy Award-winning actor never misses a beat when the camera turns his way. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson again confirms his status as a reliable comedic presence and laudably supports the leads. Many interesting cameos perforate the film, and while they're amusingly recognizable, they're also regrettably wasted. Few draw laughs with clever dialogue or comedic prowess, but rather produce a quick smile for those that get the reference or enjoy the recognition.

The humor throughout Get Smart always orbits around Carell and his singular style of comedy. Those that don't take a liking to his brand of wit will undoubtedly be less amused, as he is clearly the driving force behind the vast majority of the entertainment value present. While Carell's lines are rarely delivered without a magnetic humor, many of the conversations lose their luster midway, due to faltering dialogue and a lack of focus on creating the biggest laughs. Several of the extravagant set-pieces end with many a missed opportunity to supply more hilarity, and lots of little laughs spread the truly uproarious moments too thin. While a healthy dose of romance, drama, and some truly spectacular action scenes appears commendable, the devotion to these components often shortchanges the comedy.

From exotic locales to storm drains, and Moscow to Disney Hall, the action and humor follows Maxwell Smart at breakneck speed. A few feeble gags and missed chances at grand hilarity can't ruin the fun; and while they might have "missed it by just that much," it's not enough to detract from Carell's dynamic performance and the inspired comedy that trails closely behind.

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Dark, slickly filmed horror/thriller with fantastic performances

Pathology (2008)

Pathology, a slow-burning, atmospheric, slickly-filmed thriller, is the second most original movie of the year, second only to Cloverfield. However, Pathology is the better of the two films simply because of its terrifying subject matter and the very dark humor that is sometimes over-the-top. Milo Ventimiglia, Alyssa Milano, and Michael Weston are the front-runners in this horror/thriller, expertly directed by Marc Schoelermann and written by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the writing team behind the hugely underrated Crank.

Harvard Medical School graduate Dr. Ted Grey (Milo Ventimiglia) arrives at one of the nations most prestigious Pathology programs and is quickly noticed by the program's privileged and elite band of pathology interns who invite him into their crowd. It is also here where he is introduced to Dr. Jake Gallo (Michael Weston), who brings him to a secluded wing, where he and four other indulge in there after-hours, extra-curricular activities...finding ways to commit the perfect murder. As Ted's life spirals out of control, he has to worry about the job as well as his engagement to Gwen (Alyssa Milano).

The acting is top-notch and 100% believable, helped along nicely by the layered script with witty and realistic dialogue. On the surface, Pathology may appear to be a fun, quick, and forgettable popcorn flick, but it has a very subtle and deep message that is hard-hitting and relevant, especially in today's chaos-riddled times. My favorite performance of the cast was obviously Milo Ventimiglia, who completely stole the show every single time he was on screen. His boyishly good looks only serve to strengthen his charisma and delivery of each line. He makes Dr. Grey feel like a real person with such a realistic performance. And of course this is without mentioning the sensational sex scenes, riddled with numerous shots of Ventimiglia's gorgeous and tan behind thrusting in and out. It took courage to film such scenes, and I applaud him for such a spectacular performance. He carries the entire movie on his shoulders, and he has proved without a shadow of a doubt that he really has what it takes to be a great leading man. I hope he gets more roles that are as layered and difficult as this one. His last film, Dirty Deeds, was a fun guilty pleasure, but it was almost instantly forgettable and the writing was very faulty. He was hilarious and memorable as Bo, the gay jock, in Wes Craven's 2005 werewolf romp, Cursed. He has apparently stepped up his game since Heroes, and I can't wait to see what other films he has on his slate. Alyssa Milano, who is most widely known for her role in Charmed, does a great job here, although she gets a very minimal amount of screen time. Michael Weston, who I loved as the creepy car-jacker in Six Feet Under, was great in his role as Jake Gallo. Throughout the course of the movie, he basically goes completely psycho and Weston pulled it off beautifully. He hasn't been in many mainstream hits, and it's almost a shame that more people haven't seen this incredibly underrated actor.

The directing was slick and intriguing, never getting repetitive, but always keeping it interesting. All of these actors give off some of their best performances, and it's strange because a lot of them are TV actors. This further strengthens the argument that the quality of TV shows has greatly increased since the 2000's, with people who can actually act taking the main roles.

Pathology was one of the best thrillers I've ever seen and it's well worth your time if you're a lover of the horror genre or just plain interested in medical proceedings. There is a huge level of realism, and even the gore looked very real. This is a movie not to be missed. Seek it out in its limited theatrical release, or check it out when it hits DVD shelves! You won't be disappointed.

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Chasing the Dragon

Beowulf (2007)

Robert Zemeckis has always been a trailblazer with film technology. He was among the first to utilize CGI in "Death Becomes Her" and with his adaptation of the oldest surviving epic poem in the English language, he perfects the life-like digital computer animation he first experimented with in "The Polar Express". Like his canon of films over the years, "Beowulf" is an eye-popping mixed bag of cinematic tricks.

The animation has come to a point where it is eerily life-like. In "Beowulf" every blade of grass, every tree branch, and every strand of hair has been painstakingly detailed. And while it is hard to tell the difference between the digital Angelina Jolie and the real Angelina Jolie, there's still something about the human face, the nuances of the muscular features, the emotion running beneath, that this technology will never capture. It still depicts hollow, cold clones of real human beings that could never fully replace 3D flesh and blood.

What makes "Beowulf" so entertaining is the digital 3D technology. It creates some breathtaking vistas where you feel as if the landscapes are moving through you. In some of the more horrific scenes with Grendel, you'll find yourself jumping out of your skin. Zemeckis is like a magician with this technology. He's able to bleed something out of nothing by knowing how to get the reactions he wants from his audience with just the right sound effect, camera angle, and quick-cut to complete his trick. It's often ugly, but quite breathtaking.

Zemeckis loses some ground when he relies too much on juvenile machismo grandstanding to further character development. Sure, I love a good death by chandelier scene or a man getting ripped in half by a monster bit as much as the next guy, but all the bawdy humor wears thin. Even lamer was the scene where Beowulf fights Grendel in the buff, which contained almost as many laugh inducing sight gags as the scene where Bart skateboarded nude through Springfield in this summer's "The Simpsons Movie."

The mixed bag of tricks and sometimes slow build-up, however, eventually lead to a totally thrilling finale where Beowulf does battle with the dragon his misdeeds begot. In 3D, it's nerve-shattering fun. As an action adventure film, it makes the mark.

Ultimately you realize why this story has survived over 1200 years. "Beowulf" makes legendary the idea of a hero's fallibility and the global consequences of the sins of the father. These are universal themes that have been sung again and again in everything from Shakespeare to this year's best film, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." While the technology used to make this film may seem dated in a few years, the story will live on, and this just may be the definitive "Beowulf" for high school English teachers to use in their lame attempts to connect with their students. The savvier kids won't be fooled, but there's worse ways to pass the time in class.

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Surprise Solid Comedy

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

I often go see advance screenings in my area, especially now that I must officially be on "the list" as I am constantly finding tickets in my work inbox. This was the second Apatow production I've seen in advance and just like "Superbad", this did not disappoint. At the same time, while many of the cast members may be recognizable, there seems to be something different about this installment than I've seen in the likes of "40 Year Old Virgin", "Superbad", or "Knocked Up".

For starters, there was a definite presence of the "TV actors on the big screen" theme here, but I am pleased to report that Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, and Mila Kunis take to movies like naturals. Like many Apatow productions, Segel penned the script and takes over as lead Peter Bretter, proving yet again that with this crew the writer is best suited for the leading role. Segel delivers a character we all know too well from our own personal experiences and never breaks role from the shocking beginning to appropriate ending. I even give Segel extra credit for not completely victimizing his character and pointing out apparent flaws on both ends of the ending relationship.

Kristen Bell plays Sarah Marshall, the iconic ex of the film, but her role sits on the back burner along with the truly hilarious Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to make way for a leading role in Mila Kunis. From the beginning it is clear that her not-too-smart and shallow role of "That 70s Show" didn't follow her to "Forgetting"'s script. Kunis plays Racheal, a hospitality girl for the hotel that "Forgetting" takes place, and subsequently deals with Peter as he tries to get over Sarah Marshall. Her character is intelligent, charismatic, and appreciative of the good in people, a strong juxtaposition to the seemingly selfish starlet Sarah Marshall. Kunis owns the role with pride, even slipping in gestures and glances that didn't seem to initially be in the script. Hopefully this will open her up for more serious roles than "American Psycho 2" and the typecasting that often happens with TV actresses like her.

The star of the film, in my opinion, easily has to be Russell Brand, who plays the over-conscious over-sexed rock star Aldous Snow. Snow adds the necessary level of comedy that could have been missing from what is truly a tragic plot. About halfway in the film, I couldn't help but snicker to myself just with the presence that Brand creates (complete with perfect costume choices). The only downfall to a character who is truly the Mercutio of this tragedy is that Brand clearly overshadows Bell's performance as Sarah Marshall, who is ironically the most forgettable character of the film.

The writing flows with well-timed jokes, apathetic digs, and shocking vulgar humor. There is even a few moments where you feel Segel was digging on the cast with jokes involving crime dramas (Segel did time on "CSI") and TV actresses in horrible horror movies (Kunis did the atrocious "American Psycho 2"); not sure if it was intentional, but I caught what I thought was a reference. Just as with most Apatow productions, leave the kids at home. Unlike the rest, however, the crude humor doesn't overflow and turn off most audiences (like I noticed with "Superbad"). It also doesn't get very heavy in the least (which is what I felt hurt "Knocked Up"). I think Apatow has found a great balance with this production and Segel's script. I also want to give credit to Nicholas Stoller , who proved that he can be successful as a director after the hit he took from helping write "Fun with Dick and Jane".

All in all, this comedy is just another example of a good time for adults. It keeps a consistently flowing script, unlike many recent comedies that seem to lose pace as they close the story. While crude, the jokes are just light enough to appease most adult audiences and the short 100 minute run time will ensure you won't be glancing at your watch waiting for it to end, just laughing hysterically.

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