3 Razors

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

  • Title: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
  • IMDB: link

taking-of-pelham-123-posterAs a director Tony Scott is a bit hit (Domino, Spy Game) and miss (Deja Vu, Enemy of the State) for my tastes. His latest, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, is not the first movie to be adapted from the novel by Morton Freedgood, but does showcase Scott’s trademark style.

I had planned to sit down and watch the original before hitting the screening for the new remake, but couldn’t quite find the time. So I can’t tell you how the film measures up to 1974 film with Walter Matthau. What I can tell you is the film delivers your basic “Die Hard in a subway” scenario, with smart crooks, mostly dumb cops, and a twist or two as well.

Our protagonist this time isn’t a hero. He isn’t John McClane in the wrong place at the wrong time. Denzel Washington stars as Walter Garber, a lifer in the subway bureaucracy who has been demoted pending the outcome of an investigation into his ethics. That puts the unlucky Walter at the dispatch desk when the call comes in that terrorists have taken control of a subway car with 19 hostages and are demanding $10,000,000 which must be delivered in one hour.

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Star Trek

  • Title: Star Trek
  • IMDb: link

Let’s get one thing straight, this ain’t your daddy’s Star Trek. J.J. Abrams and his team have successfully relaunched a franchise with 2009’s Star Trek. What we’re given us a fun summer popcorn flick with characters that resemble those from the classic TV-show. However, the film isn’t perfect and makes a few too many changes to Trek continuity for my tastes (not all of which can be argued away by the plot’s time travel plot). Is it a good Star Trek film? Yes, it’s by far the best one the franchise has put out since Star Trek: First Contact. Is it a great Star Trek film? Well…

Let’s begin with the contraption by which the entire film hinges. Years in the future Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is involved with an attempt to save Romulus from disaster. The result sends both Spock and the Romulan ship back in time to create havoc and alter the time stream. This basic premise will be used to explain how the film deviates from basic Trek chronology and how Kirk will rise to become Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

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Lymelife

  • Title: Lymelife
  • IMDb: link

lymelife-poster

One of the issues you often run into with films made by first time directors is a film that never quite comes together. Lymelife, written and directed by Derick and Steven Martini, does quite a bit right but also falls into a few traps that more seasoned directors could have avoided. It’s not a bad film, however it’s pretty uneven. That’s not to say I’m calling this one a pass. There’s an awful lot happening here, and although some might have grown tired of the sub-genre of quirky little suburban independent films, it’s still worth a look.

The film centers around two dysfunctional families. The Bartlett’s are doing well, at least from the outside looking in. Mickey (Alec Baldwin), the family’s breadwinner, is the envy of everyone else except perhaps his wife (Jill Hennessy) who seems to breathe a passive-aggressive hatred that it turns out is more than warranted.

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State of Play

  • Title: State of Play
  • IMDb: link

state-of-play-poster

State of Play is an ambitious project which, at times, gets away from director Kevin Macdonald. The script was worked on by the men who gave us Michael Clayton, Lions for Lambs, and Flightplan. And, for better or worse, you can see each writer’s stamp on the film, meaning at times it becomes both too preachy and too focused on “getting us” with unexpected twists. To be fair, many aspects of the film work well and it’s an enjoyable, and even somewhat smart, thriller which has something to say about the state of both journalism and politics.

Cal McAffey (Russell Crowe) is a reporter’s reporter, that dying breed your more likely to find in a movie like this than an actual newspaper office, at least these days. He’s a throwback, the last of the old guard focused on finding the truth of a story and bringing it into light. His stark worldview is encroached on by a sassy young blogger (Rachel McAdams) who can put out several tasty tidbits a day, an editor (Helen Mirren) pressured to make the paper more commercially viable, and a breaking scandal involving the death of an assistant to a golden boy politician (Ben Affleck) who just happens to be Cal’s former college roommate.

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Monsters vs. Aliens

  • Title: Monsters vs. Aliens
  • IMDB: link

monsters-vs-aliens-posterFinally some truth in advertising. From the title alone you should know whether Monsters vs. Aliens is going to be your cup of tea. Do you want to see animated monsters fight animated aliens? If so, here’s your chance.

Susan Murphy’s (Reese Witherspoon) wedding day is ruined when the power from a strange asteroid makes her grow into a 50-foot woman. For her own safety she is detained by the government and sent to a top-secret lab to be housed with other monsters including the not so bright blob B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), the half-bug/half-man mad scientist Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), the Missing Link (Will Arnett), and the massive Insectasoris.

The monsters are released by General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland, in a pretty forgettable role), and offered their freedom for their assistance when an alien Squidbilly (Rainn Wilson) attacks the planet looking for the powerful meteorite and not caring who he has to kill to get it.

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