Cindy Prascik’s Review of Redemption (Hummingbird) & White House Down

Dearest Blog, this week my local cinemas conspired to keep me from seeing a Jason Statham film on opening weekend. However, thanks to my heroes at Xfinity, I not only got to see the movie, but also didn't have to follow through with my threat to boycott the cinema in protest. WHEW!!

Spoiler level here will be mild.

First on the weekend's agenda, a Friday night On Demand screening of the new Statham flick Redemption, originally known as Hummingbird.

A tormented ex-special forces soldier does the mob's dirty work while seeking vengeance for a friend's murder.
Everybody knows I love Jason Statham. Jason Statham movies must be seen on opening weekend and, if my schedule permits, I'll burn a vacation day to see them opening day. Even if I don't like anything else about a movie, the fact that it has Jason Statham is good enough for me. Redemption is lucky it has Jason Statham.

Redemption tries to be more than just the average ass-kicking flick. It is a Very Serious Movie, with Very Serious Acting. Nobody in it is so good or so bad as to be worth writing home about, but, as a fan, I enjoy Statham getting to stretch his wings sometimes...and of course there's always a bit of ass-kicking to fall back on. When critiquing actors, I try to avoid taking jabs at anything other than their acting skills; however, here I must note that the leading lady, Polish actress Agata Buzek, has distractingly bad teeth. She's like an honorary member of the Pogues or something.

Redemption is a slow-moving animal, with a couple...um...I couldn't precisely call them "twists," but I'll say "aspects" that might have been intense or even shocking in the hands of more adept filmmakers. Here they are clunky, contrived, and even a little gross, and I wasn't buying any of it. This is a dark, dull, depressing film that builds to an unsatisfying conclusion.

Redemption runs 100 minutes and is rated R for "strong brutal violence, graphic nudity, and language." I've seen some very positive notices, but whatever those folks liked about it, I clearly missed.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Redemption gets four...all for Jason Statham.

Next up was a Saturday trek to the cinema to see the Olympus Has Fallen reboot, White House Down. Wait...what? It's not the same franchise??? Huh.

While on a tour of the White House with his politics-obsessed young daughter, a Capitol cop ends up having to save the President and the country from a paramilitary invasion.

I've gotten the tired joke out of the way, but, yes, this movie was released far too quickly on the heels of the year's earlier White House invasion flick, Olympus Has Fallen. Where there was nary a chuckle to be had in Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down plays it more like Die Hard, with one-liners and gags to spare.

Channing Tatum seems to be Hollywood's "it" guy of the moment and, while I don't find him particularly hot (yeah, you heard me!), I can't think of a film where I haven't enjoyed him. Here he holds up fine opposite Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, though obviously this movie's much more about action than it is about acting. Foxx is solid as the leader of the free world, and the supporting cast has plenty of familiar faces, including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins, Jason Clarke, James Woods, and Matt Craven. I was excited to see two of my TV faves, Jimmi Simpson and Kevin Rankin, in pretty important roles.

The action in White House Down is huge and, at times, silly, but great fun. If the movie tends to beat you over the head with certain points (we get it, President Sawyer is a REALLY GOOD GUY!), it's not too hard to forgive because it's with honest intent, and, hey, we were rooting for him anyway. The film's biggest flaw is a runtime of almost two hours and twenty minutes, excessive times 12 for a summer popcorn flick.

White House Down clocks in at a bloated 137 minutes and is rated PG13 for "prolonged sequences of action and violence including intense gunfire and explosions, some language, and a brief sexual image" (musta been very brief...I don't even remember it!).

White House Down is definitely the more fun of the year's "let's blow up Washington" movies, and, of a possible nine Weasleys, it gets seven.

And so, dear Blog, we come again to my favorite time of year, that time when my next trip to the cinema includes something new from Johnny Depp. I am giddy with anticipation.

Until next time...




What the hell...I'll vote for him! ;-)

Movie Reviews: THE DARK KNIGHT
IN THEATERS


THE DARK KNIGHT




With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.

Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman

Director: Christopher Nolan

Opens July 18, 2008

Runtime: 2 hr. 32 min.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace

Genres: Comic-Book Superhero Film, Crime Drama, Fantasy, Crime

Review:

Christopher Nolan's follow up to Batman Begins carry such weighty and mature themes that it makes all the other superhero films seem childish by comparison. The Dark Knight is a tightly scripted thriller of a crime drama that's as dark as it is engrossing. Nolan's film feels more like a Michael Mann film than a comic book film, it's urban it's gritty and it winds you up like a top. Freed of having to deal with the origin story, Nolan is allowed to hit the road running right from the start. Nolan's comfort level with large action sequences, such as thrilling car chase about halfway through the film and his ability to film fight sequences better this time around, we can actually see what's happening now, make it much more enjoyable journey. The Dark Knight also benefits from having a much more expansive and epic feel than Batman Begins. Everything feels bigger this time around; the city, the story, the themes. The scripting also feels much tighter as well, we get less comic book sounding dialogue and more naturalistic debates about the concepts of good and evil. To say that this script might have more bubbling underneath the surface would be a bit of an understatement. There are plenty of real world issues being address here so it goes without saying that this is a complex multilayer film that will make you use your mind as much as your eyes and ears. While some may complain about the movie long run time, 2 hours and 32 minutes, it never becomes an issue as the film is so tightly edited that there's hardly a moment that isn't important, needless to say you should probably make sure to get your bathroom breaks out of the way beforehand. Nolan's work is superb for sure but his cast just makes his job so much easier. First off, Heath Ledger is just perfect as the Joker. He's captures everything the character has been in either animated or comic form that's been lacking in previous incarnations. I for one was never a huge fan of Jack Nicholson's take in Tim Burton's original Batman because it was more about Jack than about the character. As a Batman fan, mostly from the fabulous Bruce Timm produced Animated Series from the 90's, Nicholson's take seemed off, it was fun for what it was but it never captured the embodiment of the character. In The Dark Knight, Ledger hits every note right, giving the character the proper feel of a manic psychotic with a joke in his heart. The Joker feels more like an unleashed force of nature than a character. He is anarchy incarnate. In some way or form his character always has the upper hand all the while making the heroes just as complicit and responsible for every evil deed he commits. The fact that his motives and back story are pretty much non existence gives his character an even more sinister feel. The hype about his performance isn't an over exaggeration, every time he's on screen he demands your attention and doesn't release it until he's gone. Ledger's work is truly amazing to watch but so is the rest of the cast who answered the bell just as readily. Christian Bale again shows why he's my favorite actor to don the cowl. His work here is just as complex and textured as Ledger's. His character grapples with the meaning of his personal crusade and the general cost it tolls on people around him. Bale gets more time this go around as Bruce Wayne and he clearly enjoys playing that part of the persona as much as his alter ego. Bale and Ledger share a couple of great scenes which for me where the highlights of the entire film. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent is equally impressive which, like Ledger, captures the real spirit of the character. Eckhart plays the part of civic hero on a mission but you can sense something more wicked simmering beneath his persona. His character's tale is perfectly set up even if it feels a tad truncated near the end it doesn't take detract from its tragic conclusion. Maggie Gyllenhaal thankfully takes over the role of Rachel Dawes and does more in less time with the character than Katie Holmes did in the previous film. Gyllenhaal feel more organic, even if its light script wise, in the role than Holmes ever did, so much so that I wish there were a way to go back and replace her in Batman Begins. Gary Oldman might be lost in the shuffle with all the bigger roles being played so well but his work as Jim Gordon is on par with any of the headliners. Even going back to Batman Begins and more so here, Oldman just is Gordon and it's a performance that can easily be lost but his nuances and speech inflections are so perfect it hard not to enjoy it. Michael Caine once again adds his fatherly charm to Alfred. Caine and Bale's interactions come across so naturalistic that you'd think they'd really known each other for decades. In a movie this large someone has to be short changed and along with Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman has even smaller role than the first go around but he does make the most of what he's given. Also in a very small role Eric Roberts has a lot of fun as crime boss Salvatore Maroni, giving him a great sense of slime mixed with criminal honor. If you haven't gotten the point by now, Christopher Nolan and the cast pretty much hit it out of the park here. A slight warning though, this film is pretty brutal and it really pushes the PG-13 limits throughout. This is a comic book movie in name only and it doesn't pander to younger audience instead it asks you to think about what's being presented. If you are looking for something light and fluffy this is not the movie for you. The Dark Knight is rousing success, one that feels incomplete and screaming for a sequel, let just hope Nolan and company return to finish this impressive story.

A

Bluray quality; Video is grade A across the board with the scenes that were shot in IMAX really showcasing how impressive the HD video is; Sound is display quality, working in perfect unison with the visuals.

I was hand-selected to be a member of Blu-ray Elite, a beta program from Warner Home Video which has graciously sent me this free Blu-ray disc.