Alan Rapp

Righteous Kill

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Righteous Kill
  • IMDB: link

“This thing is a clusterfuck to end all clusterfucks.”

Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are two warhorse detectives for the NYPD.  We learn early on that they’re good cops who take the job seriously, but aren’t above taking shortcuts for justice when the courts let them down.

Things get sticky for Turk, who presents the tale from a taped video through a serious of flashbacks, when a recent string of deaths begin to lead back to him.  His Lieutenant (Brian Dennehy) and the cops working the case (John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg) believe they have a cop serial killer on their hands, with Turk being the most likely suspect.

The film centers on De Niro’s character, his job, and his unhealthy relationship with a crime scene investigator (Carla Gugino).  There are also subplots involving the cops trying to take down a local drug dealer (50 Cent) with the help of a lawyer (Trilby Glover), and a woman (Melissa Leo) whose daughter was brutally killed by her boyfriend.

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Burn After Reading

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Burn After Reading
  • IMDB: link

“I thought you might be worried about the security, of your shit.”

Burn After Reading, written and directed by the Coen Brothers, is a thriller set in a world not too far from Dumb & Dumber.  It’s a tale of secrets, lies, and murder through an idiot lens.  It’s an interesting idea that struggles at becoming a good film.

The story centers around a recently fired CIA agent (John Malkovich) with a bad temper whose memoirs wind up in the hands of two dumb gym employees (Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt).  After being attacked the first time the pair attempt to return the disk their plans turn towards blackmail or to selling the dubious contents to the Russians.  As to why the film chooses the Russians, well, the joke is obvious though the rationale (like so much in the film) is not.

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The Women

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Women
  • IMDB: link

“The spritzer girl?!”

For ten years Diane Enlgish has been trying to get this remake of the 1939 film off the ground.  Maybe she should have waited another decade or two.  Here’s a chick flick’s chick flick (with nary a man to be seen).  Despite having talent to spare there’s very little sign of life as the film comes in D.O.A.

The movie centers around do-it-all gal Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) who has time to work for numerous charities, raise her daughter (India Ennenga), and hang out with her best friends (Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith), but is the last to discover that her husband is having an affair with a “spritzer girl” (Eva Mendes).

From here the film follows the drama of Mary’s struggle to come to terms with the situation mixed in with “humorous” moments.  Sadly however, aside from a short initial appearance by Candice Bergan as Mary’s mother, the film shows almost no signs of life whatsoever.

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The Return of the Secret Six

/ / Comics
  • Title: The Secret Six #1
  • Comic Vine: link

“Grant’s characters [from Final Crisis] are high-minded lunatics with visions of universal conquest, while mine are more like desperate carny roustabouts with the clap.”
—writer Gale Simone

The Secret Six return with this new series from writer Gail Simone and artist Nicola Scott.  For those unfamiliar, the Six are a group of villains banded together for mutual interest and money making endeavors.  The new team returns Catman, Deadshot, Ragdoll, and Scandal Savage. and introduces the newest member, Bane.

Here we’re introduced to a new behind-the-scenes villain (or better described as a villain in a box), and by the end of the issue the team has a mission which no one thinks is a good idea.

The first issue is a bit too much set-up, but once the story gets moving and we can see these guys interact, the fun really starts.  There are two great moments worth talking about.

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Comic Movie News

/ / Film News & Trailers

Turns out those rumors about more Spidey flicks are true, and both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi are back on board for the fourth and fifth entries to the franchise which will be shot back-to-back next fall.  No word yet whether Kirsten Dunst will return as MJ, or if Marvel’s got other love interests in mind for the Web-Head.  Likely possibilities for villains in the two films include the Lizard and the Freak (the character was introduced earlier this year in comics as the villain for a future Spidey flick, most likely Spider-Man 5).  Am I the only one still holding out for Electro?  You’ll know more when we do!

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