Pick of the Week 7/20/09

PAYBACK
"No More Mr. Nice Guy"

Every once in a while I get an itch to watch a movie that for lack of a better expression kicks ass. This might seem like a somewhat undignified feeling from someone who appreciates good film, but they are not mutually exclusive when it comes right down to it.
Beat-downs, explosions, beautiful women and bad guys you can’t help but cheer for are something that needs to be experienced once in a while. So, when the mood strikes you, PAYBACK is the movie your gonna want to watch.
Mel Gibson enters the role of Porter, a con man/thief and all around crook who is double crossed and left for dead by his partner, played by Gregg Henry. The story doesn’t get much more complex from there. Porter embarks on a mission to get back his half of the score his partner double crossed him on, a sum of $70,000, which the higher up the organized crime hierarchy Porter gets seems more and more trivial. It's the principal of the thing. Nevertheless, dry humor and great one-liners prevail in this somewhat epic gangster revenge caper. You can’t help but root for Porter deep down in the dark portion of your heart. Plus, Lucy Liu makes a great cameo as a dominatrix, which is just about the most ironic thing I have seen in a long time.
Who knows, this may be the best all around movie experience you've had in a long time.

Starring Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, David Paymer and Kris Kristofferson.
Released in 1999.

You can watch movies online by going to iReel.com , a Video On Demand web based streaming service. There is no cost to join, and subscriptions, premium accounts and download to own options are available. Follow the link to Payback here http://www.ireel.com/search_result/index?q=Payback+Straight+Up%3A+The+Director%27s+Cut&f=s. iReel.com has a selection of major, minor and independent film titles in standard definition and high definition ready to stream to your computer right now. No plug in or downloaded software required. Check them out!

Pick of the Week 7/6/09

THE SAINT

Once in a while a movie drops in theaters and gets a perfectly respectable audience reaction, then goes on to become a bone of contention between movie aficionados. The Saint is one such movie.
I’m of the opinion that The Saint is a great movie in the way that action, conspiracy, humor, compelling story and competent writing make something that warms the heart and gets the blood pumping at the appropriate times. If you are looking for the best movie of the year, or a golden globe nomination, then best look somewhere else. Those awards don’t mean anything anyway. They only come about because enough subjective opinions come together to form a lopsided consensus. Anyway, enough of that.
The story revolves around legendary thief Simon Templar (Val Kilmer), that becomes embroiled in political maneuvering and the controversy surrounding renewable energy. His services are aquired to steal the formula for Cold Fusion, a new free energy source, from beautiful physicist Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue). Even back in the late 90’s screenwriter’s had already discovered that renewable energy could make for an interesting plot base. This whole thing might sound somewhat contrived, but add to the mix Russian oil patriarchs, the mafia and some well placed action, and you get a solid movie that can’t fail to make you feel like your time was used well.

Starring: Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Serbedzija.
Released in 1997.

You can now watch movies online by going to iReel, a Video On Demand web based streaming service. There is no cost to join, and subscriptions, premium accounts and download to own options are available. Follow the link to The Saint here: http://www.ireel.com/search_result/index?q=the+saint&f=s. iReel has a selection of major, minor and independent film titles in standard definition and high definition ready to stream to your computer right now. No plug in or downloaded software required. Check them out!

PIck of the Week 6/22/09

HEAVEN CAN WAIT

Heaven Can Wait was one of the first truly memorable movies from my childhood, and seeing as I was only allowed to watch black and white movies till I was 11 this was a pretty big deal.
Playing Joe Pendleton, the Rams star quarterback in a millionaires body, was easily one of Warren Beatty’s best screen parts, excluding Bulworth, matched only by Julie Christie’s performance as environmentalist Betty Logan. The story starts with Beatty’s character training for the Superbowl, when he is ripped from life and transferred to heaven, where it turns out he is not supposed to be in the first place. The problem becomes how to get Beatty back into a body that can compete in the Superbowl. Instead, he ends up in an aging corporate millionaires body, who has been murdered by his wife and chief assistant. The story gets more complicated from there, complete with love, football and an interesting ending.
Some of you may be reading this and thinking that this sounds a lot like the Chris Rock version Down To Earth. Watch the original first as it is order of magnitudes better than the remake.
Definitively a movie for the whole family and any occasion.

Starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Jack Warden and Dyan Cannon
Released in 1978

You can watch Heaven Can Wait at http://www.ireel.com/search_result/index?q=heaven+can+wait&f=s , a Video On Demand web based streaming service. There is no cost to join, and subscriptions, premium accounts and download to own options are available. http://www.ireel.com/ has a selection of major, minor and independent film titles in standard definition and high definition ready to stream to your computer right now. No plug in or downloaded software required. Check them out!

Pick of the Week 6/5/09

WONDER BOYS

Every time I sit down to watch this movie I honestly don't know what to expect, even after multiple viewings. I don't mean that I have forgotten the storyline, but that each time I watch Wonder Boys I see something different in the characters, in their relationships, and more importantly I sometimes see my life in a different perspective. And yes, I laugh till it hurts most of the way through it too.
This is the power of Curtis Hanson's amazing adaptation of Michael Chabon's much loved novel. The fact that Michael Chabon is involved with this movie makes it worth mentioning on its own.
The story revolves around Professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) many years after the writing of his great literary work, struggling to finish the follow up. Stoned and drunk most of the time, having an affair with a married woman, and attempting to mentor a dark and disturbed young student (Tobey Maguire) while fending off the advances of his housemate and admirer (Katie Holmes) doesn’t leave Douglas much time to do anything but coast through life. However, like all lasting cinematic works, Wonder Boys is really about choice, and more importantly about the ability of individuals to make decisions instead of letting life dictate every step of the way.
If you are looking for a deep, emotional and hilariously funny movie, complete with great writing and cast, then Wonder Boys is it.

You can now watch Wonder Boys on iReel.com, a Video On Demand web based streaming service. There is no cost to join, and subscriptions, premium accounts and download to own options are available. iReel.com has a selection of major, minor and independent film titles in standard definition and high definition ready to stream to your computer right now. No plug in or downloaded software required. Go to http://www.ireel.com/ and check them out!

Starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, Francis McDormand and Robert Downey Jr.

Released in 2000.

PICK OF THE WEEK: 11/28/08

APPLESEED

As I am not the most knowledgeable person on the subject of anime, I will nevertheless go so far as to say that this is one of the most intriguing and ingenious depictions of what animation technology and good writing can potentially produce.
Appleseed is set in the future where mankind has started and finished WWIII. Much like the Matrix or Equilibrium style movies, humans have realized that their predisposition for violence and aggression will eventually lead them into extinction. So with new technological developments, the humans create a species of human looking robots to govern and safekeep humanity.
Most of the plot revolves around the struggle between the human run military and the rest of the robot run government.
The action is breathtaking and unlike anything out there in cinema today. As this post will be a little dated, I will say that the sequel, Appleseed: Ex-Machina, that was just released on DVD is also superb, but the original is still on another level entirely.
Released in 2004.

FLATLINERS

What to say about this movie. Engrossing is a not often word used these days to describe movies, so I'll start with that. A great look at life, love, the sins of yesterday and the hopes of tomorrow. Flatliners delves into not just the science fiction aspects of life after death, or of coming back from the dead, but also looks at spirituality, religion and modern science in a way that forces the viewer to consider these things from another perspective.
The movie is set in a somewhat ambiguous setting, dark and morbid at times, but it all adds to the story and the development of each character as they each battle with some negative aspect from their pasts in search of salvation.
Maybe not a date night movie, but definitely a good stay at home for rainy, dreary day.
Flatliners stars Keifer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt.
Directed by Joel Schumacher and released in 1990.

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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