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To borrow the opening from the PreviewBox.com review of ‘The Kingdom‘ . . . “Welcome to Hollyweird’s not-so-new cash cow . . . the mid-east war movie” - though we’ll call this the executive version since MGM and Mr Redford made the decision to focus more on the diplomacy of the war rather than the soldiers.

That glittering generality aside, what is this movie about?  Lions for Lambs has tossed out big names and familiar faces (Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep) posturing in some very serious scenes, though no one says anything that alludes to a plot - or even to the existence of a script.  To be fair, clips are available online that depict Mr Redford making a few pseudo-political comments, so perhaps this is simply a poor attempt by big-budget Hollyweird to make a relevant, gritty, political commentary.  Barring that remote possibility, in essence, for ninety minutes, we see very big, important-looking but irrelevant actors, playing very big, important-looking but irrelevant characters, in a very big, important-looking film where basically nothing happens.

On second thought, it’s a lot like actual politics.  That being the case, this is an accurate but boring film that for once proves that film shouldn’t be like real life.

Technorati Tags: Lions for Lambs, The Kingdom, MGM, Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, irrelevant, political, boring, real life

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With Halloween approaching and graphic novel adaptations being all the rage this year, ‘30 Days of Night’ seems an obvious release in the current Hollyweird climate.  Interestingly enough, this one also promises to be a good film.

To a thinking person, the plot is a welcome homogeny of ‘duh’ moment and pure genius - vampires who hunt in the northern hemisphere where a fortunate geographical orientation keeps the sun from rising for a full month of each year.  It’s an easily referenced, readily assimilated world, perfectly suited to what we already know about vampires . . . and an ideal scenario in which to teach us what we don’t . . . all while playing on existing fears of isolation and desolate, naturally bizarre environments.

Paramount for a potentially familiar film is a unique vision, and to build a non-traditional horror flick from traditional elements, you’d be hard pressed to name a better producer than Sam Raimi (whom we’ll forgive for the Spider-Man faux pas).  Also vital for a film of this variety is a solid cast without a clear headlining star begging for screen time and stealing the scene.  The listed cast is populated with faces you know but names you likely don’t recognize - including Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, and Mark Boone.  It’s a smart move, casting accomplished actors while insuring there’s not a Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt in the bunch.

Assuming Mr Raimi will bring the same gritty, simplistic, bleak realism to this piece that we’ve seen in his Asian adaptations, ‘30 Days of Night’ will send traditional poseur scream-and-ream films marching into the sunlight and slashing their own wrists in shame.  To be fair, it’s not likely to break the box office, but it’s certainly positioned to become a cult favorite among lovers of vampire lore who like a bit of brains in their gore.

Technorati Tags: 30 Days of Night, vampires, Sam Raimi, Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Boone

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A rule of thumb . . . always, always, always see anything written by Harold Pinter.One rarely expects such stable and innovative fare from a major Hollyweird studio, but Sony seems to have come through in spades with a big budget film that has the depth of a major indie.

Sleuth, written by the aforementioned Mr Pinter, plays as a lighthearted and dark dramatic comedy. (Yes, that dichotomy is intentional and accurate . . . trademark Pinter, in fact.) Should unpredictable plot twists, depth of character, and off-kilter perspectives be even remotely appealing to your intellect, Jude Law and Michael Caine should prove worthwhile in this particularly satisfying storytelling event.

Should you prefer not to think or enjoy your films, go back and watch The Game Plan again.

Technorati Tags: Sleuth, arold Pinter, Michael Caine, Jude Law, Sony

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If Harry Potter had been a character in a Disney version of Lord of the Rings directed by Michael Bay, theatre goers would have seen ‘The Dark Is Rising’ nearly a decade sooner. In much the same way ‘Stardust’ tried too hard to combine every garish cliche of modern-period piece and magical folklore, this film thinks far too highly of its less-than-lavish sets and self-impressed story concept.

The time-travel effect, created by something akin to spinning the camera on axis while tossing handfuls of glitter and twittling fingers in an act reminiscent of the Wayne and Garth’s ‘doodeleee-doo doodelee-doo’ multiple endings, is especially distracting.

Also puzzling about the film is the far too obvious attempt to bridge the gap between serious fantasy and children’s entertainment. While positioning itself with serious supporting actors and valiantly attempted larger-than-life set pieces, the film undermines its own intent with a wisecracking kid who’s clueless as a hero and is a perfect caricature of every attention-deficit diagnosed pre-teen with an attitude problem on a Nickelodeon diet.

In short, this film is a spectacular . . . as a culture study with regard to why the human race will become extinct within the next fifty years if left in the hands of the average modern youth as educated by the average modern film maker . . . but as a film . . . not so much.

Technorati Tags: Seeker, The Dark Is Rising, Wane’s World, Stardust, Harry Potter, Michael Bay, Lord of the Rings, Nickelodeon, extinction

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Following the same sulfur-smoked path blazed by (former) greats such as Vin Diesel, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson marches his career boldly into oblivion by signing on the dotted line with the action star’s Great Satan . . . Disney.

This time Dark Lord Disney stages an unholy trinity of travesty by insulting the intelligence of the movie-going public with kitschy banter, offending the sensibilities of the entire sporting world by intoning that an athlete is incapable of balancing a family and a competitive entertainment profession, and decimating the career of a headlining superstar in the name of comedy.

Again, the descendants running Walt’s wicked whimsy machine seduce and derail a promising talent with dollar signs.

Bad, bad Disney. Poor, poor Dwayne.

Technorati Tags: The Game Plan, Disney, evil, Satan, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, The Rock

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