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Knight and Day

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Knight and Day
  • IMDb: link

Tom Cruise is crazy. Crazy I tell you! And he’s soooo dangerous! Or is he? That’s the basic theme of Knight and Day which enlists Cruise to play the burned-out spy gone mad who happens upon the unsuspecting June (Cameron Diaz) on her way to her sister’s (Maggie Grace) wedding. One thing leads to another (don’t you hate it when a plane full of trained killers tries to take you out in mid-air?) and suddenly June is seeing much more of Roy (Cruise) than she bargained for.

In film, as in life, charm can both overcome and hide a number of flaws. And Cruise and Diaz make for a charming on-screen couple. Just not quite charming enough to hide a level of ridiculousness that even The A-Team dared not go. At no time should you attempt to think through the chain of events you are presented with which rely on the kind of dumb luck, chance, opportunity and fate you only find in movies of this genre.

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I kinda like it when a plan comes together

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The A-Team
  • IMDB: link

I was a little cautious sitting down to watch the new A-Team, adapted from the 80’s television showof the same name. Although I liked it as a kid, the show itself hasn’t aged all that well.

The new film does make some departures from the original. The squad are no longer Vietnam vets, instead they are veterans of several skirmishes and war zones including the U.S. involvement in Iraq. This is where things turn bad for the team as they are framed for a crime they didn’t commit.

I enjoyed the similarly themed The Losers from earlier this year and proposed if The A-Team was half as good I’d be happy. Turns out I’m happy. It’s not as good as The Losers, and it amps up the absurd to new levels (the team flies a tank in this movie), but I’ve got to admit it’s a fun ride.

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I kinda like it when a plan comes together Read More »

Wax on, wax off (again)

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Karate Kid (2010)
  • IMDB: link

In 1984, director John G. Avildsen and writer Robert Mark Kamen presented the world with a coming-of-age story about young high school student named Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) who moved to California and learned karate from kindly handyman Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).

The Karate Kid was a hit and cultural touchstone for anyone who grew up in the 80’s. It produced two sequels (and a third with Hilary Swank replacing Macchio), an animated series, a videogame for the NES, and countless merchandise. It also introduced the world to Elizabeth Shue, earned Morita a best supporting actor nomination, and forever cemented William Zabka (Johnny) in the minds of millions as a total dick.

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Wax on, wax off (again) Read More »

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
  • IMDB: link

What do you say about a film which includes a “dagger of time” and magic sand which powers its time traveling capabilities? Yeah…magic sand!? Let’s get this out of the way right from the start – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is ridiculous. Yes, utterly and completely ridiculous. It is however, at times, also fun.

Trying to find a good movie adapted from a video game is akin to finding a boy band who has aged well over the years. It just doesn’t happen all that often. Director Mike Newell and screenwirters Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard attempt to adapt the video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner for the big screen. How successful they are is debatable.

The story centers around Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a street uchin who as a child was adopted into the family of King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) and now is one of three princes of the Persian Empire. Although miscast (he’s neither an action star nor Persian) Gyllenhall relies on his charm to provide the kind of scruffy likable hero the film needs to build it’s silly premises around.

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Read More »

Robin Longstride and his less than merry men

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Robin Hood (2010)
  • IMDB: link

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe come together once again to create a a film about one man’s bloody journey to martyrdom. Sound familiar? Fans of Gladiator should like the look of this film, and fans of Braveheart should like the story (at one point Mel Gibson Crowe rouses a reluctant army by talking of liberty and freedom). Fans of the character, however, might have some issues with this new take on Robin Hood.

I’ll give Scott credit for trying to do a different type of Robin Hood film. Rather than focus on Robin and the outlaws of Sherwood Forest, the script by Brian Helgeland focuses entirely on the journey of a young archer from the Crusades to enemy of the crown. The entirety of the film (140 minutes) is dedicated to showing how Robin Hood came into being. Of course that means that the film entitled Robin Hood is missing one important ingredient – Robin Hood himself.

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