- Title: Ripper Street – Series One
- tv.com: link
Set in Whitechapel during the late 19th Century, only months after the last of the Jack the Ripper killings, Ripper Street stars Matthew Mcfayden as Detective Inspector Edmund Reid of Whitechapel H Division. After failing to catch Jack, and fearing his eventual return, H Division is responsible for 1.25 square miles of East London filled mostly the poor and homeless.
Assisting Reid in his work are the tough as nails Detective Sergeant Bennett Drake (Jerome Flynn) and surgeon and former Pinkerton Agent Captain Horner Jackson (Adam Rothenberg) who makes his home in a local brothel and whose past is shrouded in dark secrets.
Subplots of the first season include Jackson and house madam Long Susan (MyAnna Buring) fearing their past will catch up with them, Reid’s estranged relationship with his wife (Amanda Hale), various trouble inside the brothel, and Drake falling in love with one of Long Susan’s whores (Charlene McKenna).
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- Title: The Intouchables
- IMDB: link
Based on the nonfiction book by Abdel Sellou, this French odd couple comedy stars Omar Sy as an ex-con out on the street who is hired as a caregiver for a rich French aristocrat (François Cluzet) with whom he has nothing in common. Most of the humor early on deals specifically with Driss’ (Sy) learning his new responsibilities, his discomfort with various aspects of his new job such as dressing Phillipe and “draining the ass” of a man he doesn’t know, and his fumbling juvenile attempts to woo Philippe’s completely uninterested assistant (Audrey Fleurot) into bed.
From there The Intouchables moves into the inevitable phase of the two finding common ground and becoming friends. Subplots involve Driss’ attempt to be a painter and keep his cousin (Cyril Mendy) from following his same path, the relationship between Philippe’s daughter (Alba Gaïa Kraghede Bellugi) and her boyfriend (Thomas Solivéres), and Driss pushing Philippe to meet the woman (Dorothée Brière) he’s been corresponding with for months.
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- Title: Deadfall
- IMDB: link
After the robbery of an Indian casino a car wreck in the wilderness leaves one member of the crew dead and a brother and sister (Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde) on the run from the law as the snow continues to fall. Deciding to split up after killing a State Trooper who had the bad luck to find their car wreck, each make their own way in the storm.
The other major thread of the story involves a recently released convict (Charlie Hunnam) hiding from the law after killing his former boxing promoter only hours after being released. On his way to his childhood home, Jay (Hunnam) runs across a nearly frozen Liza (Wilde) and, despite not needing any other complications, saves her from the blizzard. Using her feminine wiles Liza soon has the man wrapped around her finger, but she after developing feelings for Jay has second thoughts about using him to make it to his parents’ (Kris Kristofferson, Sissy Spacek) farm near the Candian border and her eventual freedom.
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- Title: Kill For Me
- IMDB: link
Would you kill for someone you just met? Kill For Me starts out as a basic thriller involving a pair of new roommates, Amanda (Katie Cassidy) and Hailey (Tracy Spiridakos), involved in some PG-13 college lesbian experimentation and the accidental killing of Amanda’s abusive ex-boyfriend (Ryan Robbins). Despite the fact the death is an open-and-shut case of self-defense, the two girls decide to hide the body. And that’s where things begin going downhill very quickly.
Kill For Me devolves into a series of twists, each more inexplicable and illogical than the last, as Hailey’s true motives become harder to discern as she goes to extreme lengths to blackmail her roommate and lover into helping Hailey seduce and kill her abusive father (Donal Logue). Given it’s ridiculous final hour the film’s only saving grace is it’s relatively short running time (95 minutes).
The only extra included on the DVD is a 13-minute behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the film featuring cast and crew interviews from the set.
[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $22.99]
- Title: Robot & Frank
- IMDB: link
Set in the near future, Frank Langella stars as a a grumpy old ex-jewel thief with early onset Alzheimer’s who learns valuable lessons about life, friendship, and family when his resentful son (James Marsden) and absentee daughter (Liv Tyler) procure for their old man a personal robot.
At first Frank is resistant to the idea of sharing his home with a robot, but when he discovers his computerized friend (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) has all the skills necessary to help him resume his criminal past he warms to the idea rather quickly. Susan Sarandon also has a small role as the town’s librarian, and Frank’s love interest.
Langella’s performance is the standout of the piece in this in this cute but schmaltzy tale that stumbles at times with bigger themes. The film works best when it focuses on Frank’s ability to manipulate those around him, including his robot, to always get what he wants. Robot & Frank is a flawed but nonetheless enjoyable film fans of offbeat heist films (such as myself) may enjoy. For more read my original review.
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Denzel Washington stars in the character study of an airline pilot whose heroic actions save the lives of an entire commercial flight of passengers, but when his history with alcohol and drug abuse sees the light of day new questions begin to be asked about that fateful day.
The screenplay by John Gatins is pretty straightforward. Washington’s Whip Whitacker is your basic hero with feet of clay who is unwilling and unable to admit or address his own demons. As such there are really only two possible outcomes to the film. Either Whitacker will get away with flying drunk the day of the crash or he’ll finally admit his problem with alcohol and drugs.
Robert Zemeckis gets the best out of his actors, paticularly Washington and Kelly Reilly as a recovering heroin user who tries to help Whip get and stay clean, but the themes of the film often feel too simplistic and it’s all too easy to see where Whip’s journey will eventually end.
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- Title: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2
- IMDB: link
The second-half of DC Animation’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns feels a little closer to the source material than Part One as the story shifts from Batman‘s (Peter Weller) return and dealing with the Mutant gang to the return of the Joker (Michael Emerson) and the arrival of Superman (Mark Valley) in Gotham to put his old friend back into retirement.
Where I felt Part One tried to fit Miller’s adult tale into a PG-13 framework this second-half delivers on Miller’s vision (including the half-naked villain whom I’ll always refer to as “Nazi Boobs“). Looking at the final cut of the film I’m a little surprised it got away with it’s PG-13 rating.
The real highlight of Part One was Carrie Kelly (Ariel Winter), who once again is terrific here although the story’s shift does push her into the background for much of the action as Batman takes center stage in his final battles with both his arch nemesis and the Man of Steel.
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- Title: THe Imposter
- IMDB: link
The Imposter is nearly impossible to believe, even when you know going in it’s a documentary of real events. The British film focuses on the story of a young American teenager named Nicolas, who reappears in France years after his disappearance. But that’s only the beginning.
For those who haven’t heard much about the film I’m hesitant to give too much away. Needless to say not everything about Nicholas is exactly what it seems. Told through a mixture of first-person accounts and recreations, The Imposter has a bit of an Unsolved Mysteries feel to it, but it’s far more bizarre than any tale Robert Stack brought to viewers’ attention.
Director Bart Layton‘s documentary is a disturbing look at a story so unbelievable Hollywood would have to make it up if it wasn’t already true. Filled with several twists and turns, the film will continue to surprise, even if you already know the big twist (although it’s given up pretty earlier in the film I won’t spoil it here).
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You know you’re in trouble when you begin comparing the film you are watching to a universal derided mid-90′s fiasco of a film starring Sylvester Stallone and Rob Schneider and find the new version you are currently watching wanting.
I’ll say this for director Pete Travis‘ take on the comic book character, it understands the character of Judge Dredd far better than Sly’s flick ever did, but it’s bleak dystopian setting and forgettable story is about as much fun as a root canal. Dredd is 95 minutes of joyless action in which no one, including the audience, is having any fun.
Set some time in the distant future, where most of the world has become uninhabitable and forced people to flock to huge Mega-Cities ruled by Judges who are in effect judge, jury and executioner all in one, Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd. As the film opens Dredd has been tasked to take a struggling recruit (Olivia Thirlby) out on assignment to judge her future.
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Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman was the third and final straight-to-DVD animated film put out by Warner Bros. Animation following the cancellation of 
