Movie Review: THE EQUALIZER

THE EQUALIZER
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo

Denzel Washington is back in another high-intensity action flick. How many of these has he done lately? This time he reteams with his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua. Robert McCall (Washington) spends most of his day stocking shelves or cutting wood at Home Mart (similar to Home Depot) and is a mentor toward another worker trying to get in shape for the security position. His nightly routine involves a stop at a local diner for a cup of tea and some reading time. He’s got a list of classics that his now-deceased wife wanted him to read. It is quite clear that he has some very distinct habits and OCD rituals. He brings his own tea bag that has been neatly folded up in a napkin and he has a very specific layout to how he likes his tea, book, and spoon placed on the diner table. Every night he sees Teri (Moretz) sitting at the counter. She is a young prostitute working under Russian gangsters. They form an unlikely friendship, as he seems to be the only male figure in her life that she can trust and doesn’t want her for sex.

One night when she doesn’t show up, Robert learns the men she works for have beaten her up. He goes to the hospital and witnesses the bloody aftermath they have left her in. We don’t necessarily know his background, but he feels the need to become the vigilante and go after the men who beat her. He shows up at their restaurant hangout and executes them all in a perfectly timed out attack. After his methodical approach to his plan of attack, we know this is not his first time taking down a gang. Robert’s initial kill is only the beginning as he uncovers a whole web of corruption, money laundering, and police involvement.

The film opens with the Mark Twain quote “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” For Robert McCall he was born to seek justice however he sees fit. Whether its threatening two cops who are stealing money from a family restaurant or some punk robbing the Home Mart, he will hunt them down and make them pay for their actions. A movie centered on a main character that acts like a vigilante does not have the most creative premise as we’ve seen plenty of movies like this before. I’m willing to forgive that little factor.

Who better to play this calm, cool and calculated man with a past than Denzel Washington? He is a powerhouse force that keeps you intrigued with a character who is more than just a killing monster. The film takes its time setting up his character and psyche. There is plenty of time devoted to his OCD like ways and the relationship he builds with Teri. Once her attack happens, he switches to hero mode and the movie really takes off. You always know he’s going to be one step ahead of everyone else and you expect him to be lurking in the shadows ready to pounce. The fun comes in as you try to anticipate his next move and mode of execution. We may not see all of his kills, but we are left with some evidence that he got the job done. There is something even more shocking when the reign of terror is left to our imagination, but since he’s the good guy we feel a bit more justified toward his actions. While Washington is a great casting choice, I feel like he can do these movies in his sleep. He was so gut-wrenching in 2012's Flight that I would love to see him get back to those types of roles.  Chloe Grace Moretz felt more at ease here than she did in Carrie or If I Stay. She seems to fare better in supporting roles than having to carry a whole movie. Popping up very briefly are Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo in minor roles. I swear Melissa Leo shows up in the most random of movies under some wig for all of ten minutes. I always end up saying, "Is that Melissa Leo? I had no idea she was in this."

Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen) and screenwriter Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2) have based their film on the television series of the same name that ran from 1985-1989. I have never seen the show before, but I am pretty certain that it is nowhere near as gruesome, violent, and out-of-control this film is in comparisons. I would like to think that Fuqua knew going in that they were going to have to have some fun along the way and that they couldn't take themselves too seriously with their approach to this story. The violence is so over-the-top at times that it felt like a slasher film in its execution. Who are we dealing with here? Denzel or Jason Vorhees? There was unnecessary blood splatter and anything with a sharp edge became a weapon to inflict pain. Consider this your warning if you get queasy. You may need to turn your head during the no holds barred ending. I, for one, was able to suspend reality and go along for the ride.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? If you go and just want to have a fun time, it will succeed at that.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Review: TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Titus Welliver, T.J. Miller

I should have known that when I heard the line “My face is the warrant” from Titus Welliver that I was in for a certain kind of cinematic “treat”. I actually went into Transformers: Age of Extinction with a little bit of hope that it could actually be good. The trailers looked awful, but I had faith in Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci that they wouldn’t have signed on for a crappy movie. One would assume they saw the first three movies and knew what they were getting themselves into. This is the fourth film in this Michael Bay series, but we have a brand new set of characters thanks to returning screenwriter Ehren Kruger. Wahlberg and Tucci must have seen something different in this script that prompted another go after the first trilogy ended. Surely they weren’t just doing it for the residual checks that will come down the road.

Wahlberg is seen tinkering around in his barn as engineer and inventor Cade Yeager. He loves salvaging old machine parts of all sorts trying to make robots and other homemade inventions in hopes of earning a buck or two. He lives there with his college bound daughter Tessa (Pelz), and they are flat broke. Eviction notices are piling up as Cade can’t seem to make a profit off his creations. Cade and his friend Lucas (Miller) buy an old semi-truck at a run-down theater in hopes of breaking it down for parts. After spending some time with it back at the barn, it starts to come alive and Cade realizes that it’s a Transformer. Oh no, it’s not just some random Transformer, its OPTIMUS PRIME!

This big reveal can’t stay a secret for too long. There is a government project called “Cemetery Wind” led by Kelsey Grammer’s Harold Attinger. His team is led by Titus Welliver’s James Savoy, and they come knocking on the Yeager barn door pretty quickly. The project plans on eliminating all of the known Transformers that survived the attack on Chicago which happened in the original trilogy. Let’s not forget about Stanley Tucci who comes into play as a scientist trying to build his own type of Transformers. An all-out war ensues between Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots versus these new Transformers that have come into play. Cade, Tessa, her boyfriend Shane (Reynor) and the rest of the humans are along for the ride as they follow the Transformers and their battle from Chicago to Beijing to Hong Kong.

I already feel exhausted trying to remember what happened or what didn’t happen during that 2 hours and 45 minutes I won’t get back. Most movies that are that long better have a decent plot and interesting characters in order for that kind of runtime to feel warranted. This has NONE of that. In what kind of cinematic world do we live in where we allow a movie that is this long with no redeeming qualities to exist? There is no need for a Transformers movie to be this long, yet all four of them have exceeded a two hour run time. The story is a series of explosions, attacks, and battles repeated over and over each taking place in a different city cranked up some ridiculously high sound volume. With such high octane and fuel going into this movie, there are about two different tempos going on. The cinematography is so frantic that the camera wizzes around so fast that you can’t see straight which is even more problematic if you see it in 3D. Am I already getting that old that it was hurting my eyes? The other tempo comes at that the opposite end of the spectrum with the multitude of “slo-mo” shots with our various characters running away from the action in order to survive. I would understand one or two but it was so excessive it was comical.

Let’s not forget all of the added moments of unnecessary bits, one-liners, and cheesy declarations that further add on run time. Screenwriter Ehren Kruger penned the second and third film, so he is very familiar with this series and working with Michael Bay. I wonder if they just sat around and thought of the most obnoxious and ridiculous lines of dialogue imaginable. A bad script typically leads to some bad acting. Have no fear as that concept still holds true here. Mark Wahlberg is doing a really good impression of Andy Samberg’s impression of Mark Wahlberg that he used to do while on Saturday Night Live. If you’ve ever seen Samberg’s sketches, you know what I’m talking about. Stanley Tucci comes off a bit better as there is a bit of campiness with his character that Mr. Wahlberg couldn’t pull off. Then there's poor Nicola Peltz, who does good work on Bates Motel, but is left screaming “Daaaaaad!” or “I’M. NOT. LEAVING. MY. DAD!”

I suppose one could say that you know what you are getting yourself into when you see any sort of Michael Bay movie. Do you go in expecting it to be this dumb, loud, action film? Yes. However, I don’t think that means it has to be completely stupid, over-the-top, and laughable or that he gets a free pass for how the final product turns out. I feel like making a Transformers movie could work. You could have decent characters, witty dialogue, and a movie that clocks in under two hours. Isn't this supposed to appeal to kids? I don't have any kids yet, but I am curious if a young moviegoer would sit through that run time? Are the explosions enough to keep them interested?  Godzilla is a good example of how you take movie that has some camp and make it fun and exciting. With so many awful one-liners, slo-mo runs, explosions, and fits of rage thrown around, I started to wonder if Bay and Kruger were trying to make the worst movie possible? Did they think they were making gold and has the audience been had in some sort of meta sense? I’ve talked to numerous people who have seen Transformers: Age of Extinction, and a majority of them that it was epically awful as well. At least I’m not the only one.

Is it Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Why would you waste $15 and 2 hours and 45 minutes of your day on this garbage?

RATING: 1/2 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

Movie Review: GODZILLA

GODZILLA
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn

That big scaly monster has stayed dormant for too long, and now Godzilla is back to wreak havoc upon the Pacific. Seismic activity occurs around a nuclear plant near Tokyo, Japan causing a massive explosion which leads to the collapse of the plant and the area to be quarantined due to radiation. Plant supervisor Joe Brody (Cranston) feels a responsibility toward the events and tragedies that occurred on that day. Over the next fifteen years, he becomes a paranoid conspiracy theorist who believes there is more to the seismic activity than what the government is leading on to as he tries to connect it to a previous nuclear bomb that was detonated to kill Godzilla.

When he and his son Ford (Taylor-Johnson), a US NAVY officer, return to the quarantined area for more research, they are arrested and taken to a secret facility. The facility has been built around a giant chrysalis being studied by scientists Ishiro Serizawa (Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Hawkins). There Joe and Ford learn that not only Godzilla exists but he may not be the only creature seeking the destruction of the Pacific. I typically go into a bit more plot detail when it comes to my reviews, but I am stopping right there with Godzilla. No spoilers as it is best to just go on this high octane ride without knowing a lot about it. The less you know, the more thrilling it is!

I should say that I have never seen a Godzilla movie before. I know it is a bit shocking for a film buff to have never seen those old black and white classics, nor have I watched that Matthew Broderick remake from 1998. I hear that is completely wretched and not worth a viewing. This review comes with a fresh open mind. With an all-star cast consisting of Oscar and Emmy nominees with Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe, and Sally Hawkins, I felt I could trust that if these guys were going to star in a CGI heavy monster flick, this was going to have potential. Director Gareth Edwards catapults the audience with a huge jolt early on with some shocking choices and I thought “They are going there already? Okay! I like this unexpected choice.” Some moviegoers may roll their eyes at times and think there is some over the top acting or cheap shots, but I find there is a tongue in cheek quality to it. Edwards lets his actors have fun here as they are fully aware they are making a Godzilla movie. You can’t take yourself too seriously here. Bryan Cranston plays the paranoid guy that believes something is out there. You can find this type of character in many of these types of movies. I had no problem with some of Cranston’s heightened line deliveries. This is a far cry from his character Walter White on Breaking Bad. The other characters are a bit more on the realistic side with Aaron Taylor-Johnson playing the US NAVY officer and Elizabeth Olsen playing his doting and concerned wife back at home. These two will also be appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron next summer.

Playing off the concept of knowing what kind of film they are making, it is quite evident that the director is playing homage to Steven Spielberg films like Jurassic Park and Jaws. I would not say that Edwards is ripping Spielberg off, but learning from what he did in those films to scare the audience. Like the T-Rex and the shark, Godzilla doesn’t appear until much later on in the film. There is a buildup of suspense and tension as our title character is slowly revealed, and you hear that loud roar that rattles the walls of the movie theater you are in. This feeling is also amplified by Alexandre Desplat’s score. I was surprised to see his name down as the composer as I am more familiar with his scores for films like Philomena and The Grand Budapest Hotel, which have a very different feel to them. I feel like there are some elements of John Williams and Bernard Hermann in there with his grandiose full symphony sound.

The best way I can describe Godzilla is that it is huge just like our title character. I felt like it was a two hour roller coaster ride that never lets up. I get very critical when I feel like directors just rely on overblown CGI effects to create the story they are telling. If you need an example of this, watch The Hobbit movies versus The Lord of the Rings trilogy and see which ones look better. With Godzilla, the visual and sound effects are stunning and may be some of the best we see all summer, if not of the year. I would not be opposed to it being recognized with a few nominations from the Academy next year. This is the kind of film that you want to see on the biggest screen with the best sound system. If you live near a theater that is showing it in the in new Dolby ATMOS sound system, I cannot recommend it enough. Holy crap! You will feel like you are in the middle of the action. I did not see it in 3D, but I would be leery about. 3D typically makes the picture quality far darker than its 2D counterpart. Godzilla is already so dark at times that the 3D could muddle that even further. It’s nice to see a monster movie back on the big screen that is done correctly. It should be no surprise that a sequel is already in the works.

Is it worth your trip to the movies? Godzilla will be one of the best films of the summer. This is the type of movie that defines the idea of a summer blockbuster popcorn flick.

RATING: 4 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

THE 70th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINATIONS

THE 70th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINATIONS

The Golden Globes are another great night of rewarding the best of the silver screen over the past year. The awards are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are typically the "party" awards. All of the nominees and presenters are basically drinking around their dinner tables all night long. It's even better when a presenter has had too much and slurs the names he/she is reading off the teleprompter. Clink on any of the links to read my reviews of the nominated movies. Here's a look at this year's nominees:

BEST MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA
1. ARGO
2. DJANGO UNCHAINED
3. LIFE OF PI
4. LINCOLN
5. ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST MOTION PICTURE-MUSICAL/COMEDY
1. THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
2. LES MISERABLES
3. MOONRISE KINGDOM
4. SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN
5. SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Ben Affleck--Argo
2. Kathryn Bigelow--Zero Dark Thirty
3. Ang Lee--Life of Pi
4. Steven Spielberg--Lincoln
5. Quentin Tarantino--Django Unchained

BEST ACTOR-DRAMA
1. Daniel Day-Lewis--Lincoln
2. Richard Gere-Arbitrage
3. John Hawkes--The Sessions
4. Joaquin Phoenix--The Master
5. Denzel Washington--Flight

BEST ACTOR-MUSICAL/COMEDY
1. Jack Black--Bernie
2. Bradley Cooper--Silver Linings Playbook
3. Hugh Jackman--Les Miserables
4. Ewan McGregor--Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
5. Bill Murray--Hyde Park on Hudson

BEST ACTRESS-DRAMA
1. Jessica Chastain--Zero Dark Thirty
2. Marion Cotillard--Rust and Bone
3. Helen Mirren--Hitchcock
4. Naomi Watts--The Impossible
5. Rachel Weisz--The Deep Blue Sea

BEST ACTRESS-MUSICAL/COMEDY
1. Emily Blunt--Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
2. Judi Dench--The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
3. Jennifer Lawrence--Silver Linings Playbook
4. Maggie Smith--Quartet
5. Meryl Streep--Hope Springs

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1. Alan Arkin--Argo
2. Leonardo DiCaprio--Django Unchained
3. Phillip Seymour Hoffman--The Master
4. Tommy Lee Jones--Lincoln
5. Christoph Waltz--Django Unchained

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1. Amy Adams--The Master
2. Sally Field--Lincoln
3. Anne Hathaway--Les Miserables
4. Helen Hunt--The Sessions
5. Nicole Kidman--The Paperboy

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Michael Haneke--Amour
2. Quentin Tarantino--Django Unchained
3. Tony Kushner--Lincoln
4. David O. Russell--Silver Linings Playbook
5. Mark Boal--Zero Dark Thirty

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
1. Daria Marianelli--Anna Karenina
2. Alexandre Desplat--Argo
3. Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek--Cloud Atlas
4. Mychael Danna--Life of Pi
5. John Williams--Lincoln

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
1. "For You"--Act of Valor
2. "Safe and Sound"--The Hunger Games
3. "Suddenly"--Les Miserables
4. "Skyfall"--Skyfall
5. "Not Running Anymore"--Stand Up Guys

BEST ANIMATED FILM
1. BRAVE
2. FRANKENWEENIE
3. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
4. RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
5. WRECK-IT RALPH

BEST FORGEIN FILM
1. AMOUR
2. KON-TIKI
3. THE INTOUCHABLES
4. A ROYAL AFFAIR
5. RUST AND BONE

SURPRISES? Nicole Kidman seems to be getting more praise for her work in Lee Daniel's The Paperboy. The movie came and out with mixed reviews, so it is surprising that she is getting nomations from SAG and the Golden Globes. I was surprised Maggie Smith was nominated for Quartet over The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

SNUBS? No Best Picture for Silver Linings Playbook is the biggest snub in my opinion along with them ignoring Robert DeNiro's work. Anthony Hopkins and Beasts of the Southern Wild were also snubbed.

Here is a complete list of the SAG Awards Nominations

Here is my Oscar Watch 2013 page with all the latest updates leading up the big evening.

The awards air on NBC on January 13th, 2013

Reflections on Bond. James Bond.

Over the past few months I challenged myself to watch and review every Bond film leading up to the release of Skyfall. You can find reviews of the first 22 Bond films here. You can find the review of Skyfall here. I had watched quite of few of them in the past, but I had never taken the time to watch them all in order. I fell in love with Bond when I was in high school. I would randomly pop them in and watch them at the video store where I used to work. My friend Jenny gave me a DVD box set that had six of the movies in there for my birthday one year. Naturally, the studio did not put them in order so you were forced to buy all three sets.

It has been a pleasure watching the movies in order. It is fascinating to watch them and and see how the films change depending on the decade, the budget, and what is popular at the time. The movies are an interesting reflection on film culture at the time they were made. They usual seem to be inspired by whatever the latest trend at the time happened to be. You cannot help to watch Live and Let Die and not think about all of the other blaxploitation movies of the time period. Moonraker was not scheduled to be the next Bond film when it was released, but the studio rushed to make that story to capitalize on the sci-fi trend of the late '70s.

If you are a Bond enthusiast, you know what you like out of your Bond movies. Do you like sultry theme songs like the Shirley Bassey numbers? Do you like your Bond girls tough and smart like Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore? Do you like the gadgets gimmicky or more realistic? Do you like the plot lines to be more realistic or far fetched? Are you a purist that thinks Connery will be always be the best Bond or do you prefer Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan? My ideal Bond movie has a realistic plot and villain, a henchman that won't seem to die, tough kick-ass Bond girl, sexual tension between Bond and the Bond girl, gadgets (but not too many), a dry sense of humor, and a sultry theme song. Do not get me started on the absurdly silly final Roger Moore movies. I feel like the series seem to revitalize itself whenever a new actor came in to play Bond. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the better movies and that was the first one to not feature Sean Connery. The Timothy Dalton movies felt fresh and action packed compared to the final Moore movies. The movies tend to feel stale and boring the longer an actor stayed in the role. A View to a Kill is the worst of the Moore movies. Die Another Day is the worst of the Brosnan movies.

Here are my picks for the best and worst regarding some of the classic elements of a Bond movie

The Movies (from Best to Worst)

1. Skyfall (2012)
2. GoldenEye (1995)
3. Casino Royale (2006)
4. Goldfinger (1964)
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
6. From Russia With Love (1963)
7. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
8. Live and Let Die (1973)
9. The Living Daylights (1987)
10. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
11. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
12. Licence to Kill (1989)
13. You Only Live Twice (1967)
14. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
15. Dr. No (1962)
16. Octopussy (1983)
17. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
18. Die Another Day (2002)
19. Quantum of Solace (2008)
20. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
21. Thunderball (1965)
22. A View to a Kill (1985)
23. Moonraker (1979)

Best Bond: Daniel Craig
Worst Bond: Sean Connery.
Close second goes to Moore because he played the role for far too long

Best Bond Girl: Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger
Worst Bond Girl: Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough

Best Villain: Gert Forbe as Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger.
Close second goes to Lotte Lenye as Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love.
Worst Villain: Charles Gray as Blofeld in Diamonds are Forever

Best Henchman: Richard Kiel as Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.
Close second goes to Harold Sakata as Oddjob in Goldfinger
Worst Henchman: Grace Jones as May Day in A View to a Kill

Best Gadget: the infamous Aston Martin D85 in Goldfinger
Worst Gadget: the crocodile submarine in Octopussy

Best Theme Song: "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey
Close second goes to "GoldenEye" by Tina Turner
Worst Thee Song: "All Time High" by Rita Coolidge from Octopussy
Close second goes to "Another Way to Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys from Quantum of Solace

Feel free to leave your comments below regarding all things Bond. I'd love to hear you thoughts some of your favorite Bond movies! What are some of your favorite gadgets or theme songs? Who is your top villain?

Here are some other Bond related posts I have written recently
The "Bond. James Bond." Challenge
My Review of SKYFALL
The Top 5 Worst Bond Girls

Movie Review: SKYFALL

SKYFALL
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe

Every great Bond movie starts with an action packed opening before the credits start. If it is exquisitely executed, it should give you a taste of what the rest of the movie is going to be like. Sometimes it involves the rest of the plot, and sometimes it stands on its own. Skyfall may have the best opening sequence to date. Bond (Craig) discovers a coveted hard drive has been stolen and a fellow MI6 agent has been shot. He informs M (Dench) over headset and she orders him to go after the killer, Patrice. Bond joins Eve (Harris), another MI6 agent, as they chase after him. After taking a bullet in the shoulder and numerous food stands and train cars are destroyed, Bond and our thief are in combat on top of a moving train. Eve is off in the distance reporting the action to M. She is close enough to take a shot at Patrice, but the risk of hitting Bond is too great for her to go along with the shot. M orders her to "take the bloody shot". Bond is hit and falls down into the river. He is presumed missing in action and possibly dead.

M is devastated after making a call that ended in the possible death of coveted MI6 Agent 007 James Bond. Gareth Mallory (Fiennes) is the new head of Intelligence and Security Committee. He calls a meeting with M informing her that she is being forced into early retirement. She learns that her computer has been hacked into on the way back to MI6 headquarters. As they pull up to headquarters, an explosion goes off in the offices and six employees are killed.

Bond used his supposed death to retire himself. He learns of the attacks at MI6 and heads back to London. He shows up at M's flat and informs her that 007 is reporting back to duty. M agrees, but informs him that he must go through numerous evaluations to make sure he is fit for duty. The time off has made Bond weak and unsteady. Even though he fails his evaluations, M officially hires him back on. Bond uses the shrapnel from his shoulder to trace the bullet back to Patrice to find out who he is employed by. The stolen hard drive contains the names and identities to various undercover MI6 agents. M discovers that the identities are being leaked. Bond heads to Shanghai to find Patrice. Further investigation leads Bond to Silva (Bardem), a sadistic terrorist. Silva is a former MI6 agent who worked with M and blames her for his capture and torture by the Chinese.

In various articles I have read, Sam Mendes has mentioned that he was very inspired by Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight when shaping his approach to directing a Bond film. The inspiration is very evident when watching the film. The story involving a terrorist and revenge is a very realistic approach that you don't see in a lot of the older Bond films. Mendes and screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade flesh out these characters we've come to love by giving them a back story this time around. The movie is not really an origins story, but you learn more about the relationship between Bond and M as well as about Bond's childhood. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are masters at both of these characters. They bring a depth to the characters that we never saw in earlier Bond movies. The audience really understands that Bond is a flawed character. He is a lot more than some strapping hunk of a hero that will come rescue you and defeat the bad guys.

The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins. The nine time Oscar nominee has previously worked on previous films by Sam Mendes and consistently shoots all of the Coen Brothers movies. His way of shooting the action sequences, especially the opening train scene, keep you on the edge of your seat. The mix of close ups and wide shots make you feel like you are on top of the train with Bond and Patrice, and the wide shots give you the scope of how crazy the stunt work is. The other fight between Patrice and Bond in Shanghai is very intricately shot and lit with them in darkness against the neon blue background lights.

This is Daniel Craig's third time playing Bond after starting his run off with a bang in Casino Royale which then was followed up by the dismal Quantum of Solace. I know there may be some Connery purists out there, but Daniel Craig is James Bond. He is sexy and suave whether he's in a suit or a tiny swimsuit. He brings the dry wit that other Bond actors failed to do. He can tackle any action scene and stunt work thrown at him. He has a natural chemistry with many of his leading ladies. Judi Dench commands the screen as M like nobody else could. She brings out the maternal side of M and gives her a sense of humor that works well with Craig's Bond. I have loved watching her work as M over the years, especially as the story in Skyfall centers around her. Javier Bardem won an Oscar for playing bad guy Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. He sure knows how to play sinister men. Silva is one of the best Bond villains. He is completely sadistic and psychotic without feeling too campy or over-the-top.

Mendes' love of the Bond franchise shows as he incorporates all of those elements we love about the series into Skyfall while making them feel fresh and current in today's society. You have your Bond girls, an evil villain, gadgets, a sultry theme song written and performed by Adele, and intense action sequences without any of it feeling hokey and gimmicky. If you know your history, you will pick up on little nods to the past. These homages are done subtly without feeling too "wink wink-nudge nudge". If you are a die-hard Bond fan, you will love the 23rd outing. If you are new to the series, hopefully you will become a new fan. Is this the best Bond movie to date? Yes, as a matter of fact, I think I would rank it that way.

RATING: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)

First Listen: "SKYFALL" by Adele

"SKYFALL" by Adele

Multi-Grammy Award winner Adele is the PERFECT choice to sing the latest Bond theme. Named after the title of the film, Adele and Paul Epworth have written the perfect title track for the new Bond movie. She infuses a sultry, smoky, mysterious sound to the song that fits right along the list of previous Bond theme singers including: Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Carly Simon, and Sheena Easton. The release of Skyfall cannot come soon enough!

Take a listen to the song below. What are your first impressions?

Movie Review: THE BOURNE LEGACY

THE BOURNE LEGACY
Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach

Aaron Cross (Renner) "Number Five" has been secluded up in the Alaskan mountains as part of a training program for Operation Outcome. He has been given a special pill regimen of a green pill and a blue pill to enhance memory and strength. Aaron comes across operative Number Three and they commune in the lodge Number Three has been living in. After Jason Bourne exposes Operation Blackbriar and the Treadstone Project, Eric Byer (Norton) is called in to cover up the CIA initiatives. While Cross is out surveying the land around the lodge, a missile is shot and blows up Number Three. It has become apparent to Cross that the members of Operation Outcome have been targeted for elimination. He dislodges the tracker that has been implanted in him and forces it into a wolf that tried to attack him.

Dr. Donald Foite (Zeljko Ivanek) has been brain washed to kill his fellow scientists at Outcome who have been making the green and blue pills. The lone survivor of the rampage is Dr. Marta Shearing (Weisz) who hides until Dr. Foite pulls the gun on himself. Later at home, Dr. Marta is attacked again by the same CIA agents that were in charge of the rampage. Aaron Cross mysteriously shows up killing the agents and rescuing Dr. Marta. They escape and head to Manila, Philippines where the pills are manufactured. Byer learns of their plans and sends a team to Manila to capture them. Naturally, this leads to many more chase sequences and high brow stunts.

Tony Gilroy wrote and directed this Bourne reboot. He had previously written the other three Bourne movies, but decided to take over the director's chair after Paul Greengrass decided not to return to the series. With Matt Damon also deciding not to return, Gilroy had a couple of options if he was going to make another movie. He could recast the role of Jason Bourne, create a new spy in a new adventure, or create a new spy but incorporate him into the Jason Bourne story line. Gilroy chose the latter choice, which has its ups and downs. Jason Bourne is referenced in the movie, andmany of the supporting characters have returned like Joan Allen's Pamela Landy and David Strathairn's Noah Vosen. I think it is important to have recently watched the first trilogy before going into The Bourne Legacy. You won't fully understand the subplots or relationships if you don't remember the events from the other movies. While it is great to tie it into the series, the movie does not succeed in standing on its own. We get introduced to the new Aaron Cross character, but we do not know much about his history or how he got into the program. The majority of the movie is Aaron and Marta on the run. There is no real conclusion as it is merely set up to feel like the first movie in a brand new series. Do not be surprised if the ending comes out of nowhere.

If you can get passed the notion that there is no definitive plot structure with a beginning, middle, and end, the movie is still highly enjoyable. You might also sit through the first thirty minutes confused as to what is going on. Once Aaron and Dr. Marta are on the run, the film narrows in on the main chase and it takes off. The action sequences and chases are edge-of-your-seat. I found myself audibly gasping during the final chase. I think it was a great casting choice to have Rachel Weisz playing Marta. The Academy Award winning actress is used to appearing in heavy hitting dramas, so it is a refreshing choice on her part. She is completely believable as the scientist and tough enough for the action sequences. She is no wimpy babe running around screaming. Jeremy Renner is proving to be quite the little action star. This is his third big action movie recently following Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol and Marvel’s The Avengers. I do not know how many of his stunts he actually did, but he can sure run over rooftops, ride motorcycles, and scale down buildings like other action stars. He is more than capable of continuing this series if the studios want it. Will I go see a sequel? Yes, of course.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: TOTAL RECALL

TOTAL RECALL
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bill Nighy, Bryan Cranston, John Cho

The world has been left with two territories after a chemical warfare, The United Federation of Britain and The Colony (the land we know as Australia). Citizens can travel between the two territories using an underground portal called "The Fall". Doug Quaid (Farrell) is factory worker living on The Colony but works in the UFB. Night after night, he is awoken by the same reoccurring nightmare. Rekall is a company that can implant memories into your mind giving you a life you actually have never had in order to escape the monotony of your real life. Doug has heard mixed reactions to Rekall. His friend, Harry (Bokeem Woodbine), recounts a story he heard of a man needing a lobotomy after his experience with Rekall. Another coworker says he has used Rekall numerous times with wonderful results.

Doug bites the bullet and heads into Rekall. Rekall employee, McClane (Cho), explains to him that he can have any sort of imaginary life he wants. He decides to be a secret agent/spy. He sits down and goes through the standard tests and procedures before the memories can be implanted. The alarms go off and McClane stops the machine and accuses Doug of being a real life spy. Memories cannot be implanted into people of a life they already lead. Doug freaks out not knowing what is going on as he is not a spy. A SWAT team enters the room and Doug suddenly uses martial arts skills he didn't know he had knocking them all out. He heads back to his apartment to tell his wife Lori (Beckinsale) about what happened at Rekall. Lori tries strangling him revealing to him that she is not the wife he thought he had. She is an undercover agent sent to monitor him. He flees the apartment in a high energy chase sequence and gets rescued by Melina (Biel) who is the girl that has been appearing in his nightmares. While on the run, he recovers messages from his former self left for him regarding his previous life. He was once an agent working for Chancellor Coohagen (Cranston) until he was captured for secretly working with the resistance movement against him.

Total Recall is a remake of the 1990 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Farrell role and Sharon Stone as his wife. It has been many years since my last viewing of that one, so I can't really compare the two but this one does not seem very similar to the movie I remember the original being. The characters have the same name, but there is no journey to Mars in this one. In case you were curious, the three breasted woman does make an appearance.

The movie feels more like a video game than a sci-fi/action movie. Doug and Melina always seem to be on the run making the movie feel like one giant chase sequence over and over. The story is left on the back burner to pay more attention to the countless action sequences. The special effects and design of the two territories make the sequences look great and are definitely high in energy. Kate Beckinsale is one fierce kick-ass action star. I give the movie credit for not being a complete knock-off of the original, but I think it could have gone way further with the story. If you are going to remake a sci-fi/action movie, it should be remade with a purpose. High octane action sequences with quick editing can make for a good movie, but this should have been a great movie.

RATING: *** (3 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: BATTLESHIP

BATTLESHIP
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson

When you decide to make a movie inspired by a two player children's game, where do you even begin? Let’s start with two very good looking brothers. Long haired Alex (Kitsch) is the deadbeat brother that can’t seem to get his act together. He is living off the couch of his older more mature brother, Stone (Skarsgard). They spend Alex’s birthday getting drinks at the local bar having some heart-to-heart conversion. Naturally, Alex gets distracted by beautiful blonde Samantha (Decker) who is at a bar stool all alone. In order to impress her, he breaks into a convenience store and steals a chicken burrito that she is craving. The cops show up as his not-so-stealth moves set off every alarm in the store. Alex gets tasered as he desperately tries to give the burrito to Samantha. Stone is livid as Samantha happens to be the daughter of his Navy Admiral (Neeson). Alex joins the US NAVY in order to get his act together and be with Samantha.

NASA has discovered that there is another planet that could have conditions similar to Earth’s. This means there could be a chance of intelligent life on the planet. They have designated a compound in Hawaii to send signals from a satellite to this planet in hopes of a response from the life forms that might exist. Years later, a response finally comes through. Alex and Stone are participating in the Navy’s RIMPAC opening ceremony exercises. During the exercises, it becomes apparent that five alien ships are approaching the Earth’s orbit. They crash onto Earth hitting Honk Kong and various locations around the Hawaiian Islands including where the Naval exercises are taking place. Alex, Stone, and company are second guessing if this is real or part of the drills. They determine this is no exercise and these aliens are far more than what they could have anticipated. They are a no-nonsense powerful species with massive vessels. You may recognize that the missiles from the aliens look just like the pegs used in the game.

I was hesitant going into Battleship when it first opened. Was it going to be a good popcorn summer action flick or would it be a long drawn out mess like Transformers? I was pleasantly surprised how much fun I had while watching a movie inspired by a game. Let's be real, it is no Marvel's The Avengers or Terminator 2: Judgment Day. With that being said, it is not as horrible as one would think. The actions scenes are loud, big, and very explosive. Berg wastes no time in getting right to the action. There is maybe twenty minutes of exposition and character set-up, but the battle begins pretty quickly after that. You don't need to wait until the final act to see ships blow up. These types of movies do not usually have the best screenplays. This is no exception either. The weak script leads to some pretty corny line readings by some of the actors, especially Rihanna. Maybe I should lay off her as this is her first movie. The production design of the aliens and their vessels seem very unoriginal. The vessels are basically Transformers as they shift around and contort to fire off the missiles. I appreciated that the aliens were given a very human look, but their body armor looks like a rejected Iron Man design. If you can get passed the cheese ball moments and bad one-liners, I think you can still have a lot of fun with the movie. It’s an action movie, and the explosions are pretty fun to watch. The aliens are pretty ruthless leaving any character, big or small, subject to an early death. Sure the movie could be way better and the filmmakers could have made some riskier and original choices, but the movie provides a mindless break that is sometimes needed in the summer.


RATING: *** (3 out of 5)