Movie Reviews on good movies that are compulsory viewing

This is an enjoyable movie and rightly billed as Rocky for a new generation. I must say the music, and cinematography people will instantly recognise the Rocky references, even without being told that this is being billed as Rocky for a new generation.

It stars Channing Tatum(Step up to the streets) as a former college wrestler Shawn McArthur struggling hard to make ends meet in New York after having an altercation with his father/coach of the wrestling team. We meet him as he is struggling to offload a series of books he has no idea are counterfeit, one of the hapless buyers happens to be the gorgeous Zulay Valez (Zulay Henao, S. Darko something about her just reminds me of a cat), from the altercation that occurs with Harvey Boarden(Terrence Howard, Iron man) and some of his associates, Harvey gets the impression Shawn may indeed be just what he is looking for, for an underground fighting campaign, the rates of pay of course are several times more than either of them could make struggling to survive on the unforgiving metropolis that is New York.

Although billed as Rocky for the next generation, there are some testing questions the original Rocky would not have crossed his mind to contemplate, and of course there is the familiar territory of the arch nemesis of a protagonist, the talented wrestler Evan Hailey(Brian J. White The Shield) who happens to have been the catalyst for the original fallout with Shawn’s father, as equally Harvey as Shawn’s unofficial manager has to face some of the taunts from his comrades who are rolling in the money, notably Martinez(Luiz Guzman, Traffic) Jack Dancing(Roger Guenver Smith, He got game).

You are left wondering if Shawn is going to make it as a underground fighter, and if there is any romantic hope for him and the lovely Zulay equally struggling herself to raise a child on her own, and her troubling grandmother.

It is a enjoyable movie, and I for one hope there is a sequel.

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It stars Jason Clarke(Farscape) as Julian Wright as a strategist for a firm, that is about to merge for a 5 billion dollar franchise, where incidentally Julian is about to head the company, from the retiring boss E.J. Winters, played by a grey-haired Ted Danson(Cheers), but there are twists in store for Julian and you soon realise he has a lot of issues to deal with.

We join our protagonist as he is in a bar chatting with a stunning seductress played by Paz Vega who strangely enough is called Michael.

Soon afterwards he happens to bump into Michael again as she heads off to watch Frankenstein at a graveyard. The inevitable affair begins, and although Julian is about to initiate a divorce with his wife, you wonder what on earth happened as they still seem pretty close. Julian’s desire for Michael soon begins to get the better of him, from the alpha male fighting for her, to wanting her all for himself, in the midst of well founded worries from his work colleagues, while she turns contemporary views on relationships on it’s head, what she regards as some kind of “Human contract” she chooses not to live by.

We never know quite what is going to happen, but as Julian goes from one problem to another notably keeping his sister Rita(played by Jada-Pinkett Smith[The Matrix reloaded]) away from an abusive spouse, you get the feeling this 5 billion dollar merger is at risk of not happening anytime soon.

Something about Michael reminds me of Penelope Cruz, there is that Spanish exotic quality about her, and of course like Cruz she is utterly delectable, and any red blooded male would not resist her charms for long.

It is directed by Jada-Pinkett Smith wife of one of the executive producers, I am sure you have seen one if not several of his movies, whose movies are the highest grossing of all time, the one and only Will Smith, and I must say I find her style of directing captivating to watch.

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The title lead character is played by the superb John Malkovich as the mentalist Buck Howard, you learn early on he hates the name magician, as he believes it dilutes what he does.

It stars Colin Hanks(The House Bunny) as Troy Gable a law undergraduate who is uninterested in his current vocation, and is looking for that spark in life, much to the dismay of his well meaning father. When you first see Colin Hanks there is something strangely familiar about him, and viola in comes Tom hanks and it clicks that they are real life father and son, playing father and son in this movie.

Coincidences places Troy as a personal assistant to Buck Howard, who has a series of peculiarities that has driven his previous assistant Alan Berkman (Adam Scott, Knocked Up) eager to leave in a rage, leaving only Troy, Buck’s effervescent manager Gil Bellamy played amicably by Ricky Jay(Redbelt) and the brother and sister team in charge of his venue Kenny played by the hilarious Steve Zahn(Bandidas) and Doreen played by the affectionate Debra Monk(Mrs O’Malley in Grey’s Aanatomy) . The audience as well as Troy are left rooting for Buck regardless of his peculiarities and when things don’t go as planned you feel it as much as his personal assistant.

It is a lovely movie most will enjoy, and of course the customary love interest is provided by Valeria Brennan played by the superb Emily Blunt(The Devil wears Prada, Something about her eyes reminds me of Bambi).

The character of Buck Howard was based on The Amazing Kesring, who’s fantastic mentalist trick the great Buck Howard recreates was never duplicated or revealed.

One of the classic lines in the movie revealing the humor of the Buck Howard, he asks an attendant to get him a glass of water, the attendant points to water already in the room to which Buck replies “That there is distilled water, I am not an iron get me spring water.”

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This is a well acted melancholy, and gripping biographical tale of the relationship between an investigational journalist and a down and out tramp.

It stars oscar winner Jamie Foxx(Dreamgirls) as Nathaniel Ayers a former student at the prestigious Juilliard school of the arts, but now out on his luck living on the streets which he has chosen to do (apparently Jamie Foxx took a chisel to his perfectly immaculate set of white teeth, to give an authentic look for the tramp, he said he looked at himself in the mirror rehearsing for the role, and said a tramp wouldn’t have such a perfect set of teeth. You have to admire the dedication), and Robert Downey Jr.(Iron man, Tropical Thunder) as journalist Steve Lopez.

We first meet Nathaniel as Steve Lopez is feeling a little sorry for himself, his arm in a cast after a previous accident, and simply looking to while the time, he is enchanted, as no doubt the audience by the seemingly well-disposed Nathaniel who sees the beauty even in the busy sidewalk where he plays his battered down violin with a few strings missing. Steve Lopez as many an investigate reporter checks out his story, and indeed confirms he was at the prestigious Julliard school of the arts.

In his attempts to aide Nathaniel settle into a life of normalcy and indeed start playing again in front of a respectable audience, you soon realise Nathaniel is certainly not balanced, and this is where the great acting permeates through, because you are never quite sure where Nathaniel well being is, one minute he is calm relaxed, and sociable, leaving you wonder how he could have got to such debts in the first place, and the next moment, you realise he is not well at all.

There is family for Nathaniel as Steve investigates(and no doubt the audience also wonders about) in the form of his sister Jennifer, played by the lovely Lisa Gay Hamilton(The sum of all fears), but it never deviates from the main thrust of the movie, the relationship between the unstable Nathaniel and the attempts to save him by his new friend Steve Lopez, and you are left on the edge of your seat hoping for the best but not being too optimistic.

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This is one of the most extravagant, hilarious and crazy movie you will see all year, that is sure to hit a nerve with many of the audience. It did so well in the box office, a sequel is already being penned.

It stars Bradley Cooper(He’s just not that into you) as Phil Wenneck a school teacher, along with Alan Garner(played by Zack Galifianakis, the same deadpan hilarious humor he brought in What happens in Vegas, “Wanna party?” is evident here), who along with Stu Price(played by Ed Helms, Night of the musuem battle of the Smithsonians) a somewhat cowardly individual being controlled by his aggressive fiancee, all plan a stag night for the hapless Doug Billings(played by Justin Bartha, National Treasure).

We join the cast as the make their get away from their normal lives to have a stag night to remember in Las Vegas, soon after we find them all (except the groom) in their hotel room, completely out of it, unable to recollect a single thing, and wondering why a tiger(yes a tiger) is in their bathroom, a naked man is locked in the boot of their car, and there is a baby in their hotel room.

This is one crazy comedy that leaves you trying to figure out what on earth happened the night before just as much as they do, they are cameo appearances from Mike Tyson(yes the Mike Tyson playing himself) as well as the lovable Heather Graham playing Jade, who has quite a night never to forget with the shy Stu Price, put in a difficult situation having to confront his controlling fiancee.

They are some hilarious segments that will have you rolling on the floor laughing, especially the ones including Mr Chow(played by Ken Jeong, Pineapple express).

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This is a surprisingly hilarious comedy aimed primarily at the college student/hippies type or indeed anyone who likes a smoke or sees the joke in it.
It stars John Patrick Jordan(Prison Break: Proof of innocence) as the hilarious dead pan Larnell. We meet him as he has invited one of his college geek friends Allistair (played by Brett Chuckerman) over to help him with a slightly embarrassing problem, before he is able to utter out the problem one of his flatmates Bachman(played by Mitch Eakins [you can believe immediately from his demeanor alone he has probably smoked a few too many]) arrives, and soon afterwards passes out.
Where Larnell explains to Allistair that it happens all the time, as a result of smoking a particular bong, not that long afterwards there is a knock at the door, and in enters the morbidly obese Brett (played by Brian Lloyd), llistair is shocked that Brett has put on so much weight within a matter of weeks, again as a result of smoking that particular bong they all had, this is where the comedy really shines through, as Larnell then reveals his embarrassing problem again as a result of smoking the bong.

There is a short cameo from the lovely Robin Sydney(Wicked Lake) as Luann, the girlfriend of Brett. An ever smiling delivery man who happened to know exactly where the original bong came from, enters the picture, and soon afterwards the three main progtagnosists with the delivery man find themselves in South America, with pieces of the original bong, when they get close to the source of the bong, it starts to speak much to the amusement of everyone else, and we meet the lovely Velicty (played by the delectable Amy Paffrath), who along with an older scientist are trying to find ways to use the plant to cure all kinds of ailments, but another entity called King Bong along with his array of scantily clad women has other ideas.

The repertoire and slanging matches between the two bongs Eebee voiced by Michele Mais and King Bong voiced by Michael A. Mais is hilarious all through even with the colourful language, and although is supposed to be horror, it is more comedy than anything else.

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This is a strangely enjoyable sci-fi movie. I half expected it to be similar to Jumper, and Wanted with james McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, and the plot does get a little convoluted.

It stars the lovely Dakota Fanning(The secret lives of Bees, I believe that was her sister in Phoebe in Wonderland) as Cassie Holmes and Chris Evans(Street Kings, 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four) as Nick Gant. Two Americans who have found themselves in Hong Kong, in a race against time to find another girl Kira Bird played by the lovely Camille Belle( you might find something about her eyes being strangely familiar, ofcourse she was Evolet in 10,000 BC) in the hope to bring down the secret agency that has been hunting them down, and making their lives and those of their families hell.

They all have special abilities, and this is where it can get a little confusing, Pushers can push thoughts into people making them believe what they want, and do what they want, Movers can move objects, Watchers can predict the future(ofcourse the future is subject to change), Stitchers can stitch people back together that have been injured even those injured by Bleeders, who have the ability to echo high auditory screams that can smash glasses, damage ear drums, blood vessels, and literally move objects and people, Sniffers can literally find anyone just from touching their belongings, just like a dog, Wipers can wipe memories, Shifters can move patterns of light around objects to change the shape and appearance, we get to meet a shifter played by the fantastic Cliff “The Chameleon” Curtis as Hook Waters, and Shadows can prevent people by being found by Sniffers.

From the all action beginning where the young Nick Gant has to run away from the antagonist Henry Carver played by Djimon Hounsou(Amistad, Never Back Down), to the confrontations between Nick and Victor Budarin played by Neil Jackson(Quantun of Solace, Blade: The series), it is a non-stop action flick, with interesting plot twists many are sure to enjoy.

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You can see immediately why this movie was an international hit, it is a romantic story many teenagers will identify with even though it has some horror themes as the inevitable subject deals with vampires, but it is in effect a love story.

It stars Kristen Stewart unrecognisable from The Cake Eaters, as Bella Swan anxious to get away from her erratic hovering mother and new boyfriend as they go on tour, while she moves to a new school as she stays with her father the local sheriff Charlie Swan played by Billy Burke(Untraceable, 24, Party of Five).

We immediately get the father daughter type of relationship Bella has with her father, as Bella voice-overs “The great thing about Charlie is he doesn’t hover” as he shows her her room. In her new school she is introduced to as the new plaything, since she is joining half way through term, and quickly makes friends with amongst others the lovely Jessica Stanley played by Anna Kendrick(her smile is enough to brighten up any room).

As Bella settles in her new surroundings she gets reacquainted with some friends she knew when she was younger and stayed with her father, one being the charming Billy Black played by Gil Birmingham(Body and Soul), there is a particular funny scene where Bella’s father buys an old vehicle from him for her, at first Bella looks at it as a worthless piece of junk, but then realises the potential it could have, and can’t wait to test drive it, while Billy Black mentions to Charlie “I’m down with the kids“.

A few days into her new school she sees the Cullens, and takes a particular fancy to Edward Cullen played wonderfully by Robert Pattison(Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). There is a particular charming scene when they first meet in a class lab, many angst ridden teenager will identify with, having to get along even though they maybe a little bit embarrassed, that particular scene of their first encounter is beautiful shot, and is probably a major reason why many teenagers identify with it.

She finds out there are some rumours going on about the Cullens, and her curiosity gets the better of her, leading to some unexpected consequences.

It is a charming movie right down to the infectious opening soundtrack, and I can’t wait for the sequel.

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This is a strange film regarding depicting abduction of Westerners and terrorism, it plays all the cards of the nightmare of Westerners being abducted for no apparent reason, taken to a dingy location, blindfolded of course and told to give them information which the foreigner pleads does not know what on earth they are talking about.

It stars Ryan Phillipe(Crash) as the seemingly good natured Dutchman Martijn(his dutch accent is flawless) with a Moroccan girlfriend Saadia played by Touriya Haoud going to Morocco to setup a food aide programme, to help her people.
Along with Gavin played by Colm Meaney(Star Trek The Next Generation) as his happy-go-lucky tour guide, instead of making the necessary contacts to setup his food programme, they are unceremoniously abducted in a bus in Morocco, drugged, and when Ryan Philippe wakes up, he is confronted by Ahmat played by the magnificent Laurence Fishburne(Morpheous in the Matrix), who proceeds at first to toy with him by having him play chess before going to other means to extract his information. His African accent is spot on, and along with his associate Aicha played by Gina Torres(Firefly), with an equally impressive African accent, they proceed to go about extracting information by the uneasy methods of the film title.

The acting is brilliant, and you feel for the poor dutch fellow who has been abducted unnecessarily when he was only looking to start up a food programme to help the people of Morocco, the torture scenes are not for the faint hearted, and you will wince in a few scenes, and you can no doubt guess from the title that each appendage has in store for it some gruesome scenes.

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This installment aims to give a little bit of background to the first X Men movie.

It stars as usual Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, Liev Schrieber(Scream, Defiance, looks very much like Balthazar Getty from Brothers and Sisters, for a short while in Series 3 of Brothers and Ssisters Balthazar Getty took a short break, I was thinking for a second maybe he took a short break to make this movie) as his sadistic brother Victor/Sabretooth.

Danny Huston(How to lose friends and alienate people) as the younger William Stryker. Will i Am (the lead singer from the Black Eye Peas, looks very much like Edi Gathegi from Twilight) as John Wraith, the lovely Lynn Collins with her mesmerising blue eyes as Kayla Silverfox, Kevin Durand(Martin Keamy in Lost) as the powerful Fred Dukes. Dominic Monaghan (Charlie Pace in Lost, Merry in Lord of the Rings) as the electronic whizz kid Bolt, Taylor Kitsch as the legendary Remy LeBeau/Gambit. Daniel Henney as the super accurate Agent Zero, and Ryan Reynolds(Blade Trinity) as lightning fast Wade Wilson(all the movies I have seen him in so far he never stops talking, theres a funny scene where this is hinted at).

Wolverine and his brother are recruited into an elite military team sent to Africa for an artefact, and in the process we get introduced to the other mutants and their powers.

The legendary Stan Lee is the executive producer and as any Marvel production the action is non stop.

There is a little scene reminiscent of Superman where Logan is found in a barn by an elderly couple.

Ofcourse we also meet some of the Marvel characters one of my favorites and the one of the least talked about Gambit, played by Taylor Kitsch I for one hope he gets his own spinoff, the action scenes where he polarises objects in his encounter with Wolverine is superb.

Hopefully there will be a further two installments and I can’t wait for more origins for the other Marvel comic characters.

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