EQUILIBRIUM

"Two men. One battle. No compromise."

Yeah! I mean seriously, this movie was absolutely fantastic. Truly a great movie.
The acting was believable, the action was unbelievable and the setting, context and to some degree the philosophy of the movie were all relevant.
Again, this is one of those movies that doesn't have a uniquely original plot line, but manages to supersede that fact and bring to the screen something altogether individual and absolutely worth viewing.
Christian Bale plays a High Cleric, a member of an elite police force in a future where all feelings have been suppressed in the populace by intervals of low-dose numbing drugs. His wife was taken away for sense-offence crimes (feeling), his children are anesthetized to his presence, and his partner is a part of the resistance. Through all of this he felt nothing. But there comes a time when he must face the fact that the most important part of his humanity has been willingly and consciously stripped from him, and he must rise up. He is feeling.
Forget the action in THE MATRIX. This is better and well spaced throughout the film.
Starring Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Emily Watson, Sean Bean and Angus Macfadyen.
Released in 2002.



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PICK OF THE WEEK 10/17/07

THE FIFTH ELEMENT:
"Time is not important, only life is important."

Firstly, this is a Luc Besson film. That in itself usually merits watching. But for this movie, it went even further. Bruce Willis is perfect for this role, as it's almost going back to his DIE HARD days, but with a little spice, a little zing.
This is one of the first action movies I watched as a teenager, and surprisingly it's value has lasted and even exponentially increased over time.
Bruce Willis plays a ex-armed forces taxi driver in a futuristic city (presumably New York), when an escaped woman (Milla Jovovich) unwittingly drops into his cab; literally, through the roof. What follows is an action-packed adventure in search of a legendary weapon that is needed every 5,000 years to save the world. But wait, there's more. Chris Tucker, Gary Oldman and Ian Holm all add there special performances to make this movie outstanding.
With Willis delivering the punches, Tucker supplying us with his trademarked humor and hilarious style and Holm as the voice of reason, they battle against Mr. Zorg (Oldman) and his crew of ugly aliens to a climatic finish.
A fantastic action/sci-fi movie for anyone who has ever wanted to see the future.
Released in 1997.



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REIGN OVER ME

"Live every day like it's the best day of your life."

This is a gutsy movie. I don't know how else to describe it. Not gutsy in the way it's normally used, like brave or courageous, or even groundbreaking. This movie is gutsy because it makes you feel it in your gut, deep down in that place that tells you your in love, or tells you your wrong, or most of the time tells you your hungry. That's where this movie gets you.
Adam Sandler gives a surprising performance in an even more surprising role. There is a bit of his usual humor thrown into this film, but it's very minimal and sparsely distributed. Don Cheadle is outstanding as well. Come to think of it, all the actors in this movie were well chosen and played their parts to perfection. And Donald Sutherland's brief role at the end was awesome.
This movie is long, the soundtrack is great, and Mike Binders writing and direction really gave the audience a chance to empathize with the characters, a feat most movies miss. But don't be fooled by the trailer, which makes this movie out to be another Sandler comedy. It's a drama through and through. I highly recommend this movie, as well as Mike Binders other somewhat recent film THE UPSIDE OF ANGER.
REIGN OVER ME was released this year, 2007.



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