MOVIE REVIEWS: THE EAGLE

IN THEATERS

THE EAGLE



Academy Award-winning director Kevin MacDonald re-teams with The Last King of Scotland screenwriter Jeremy Brock for this historical epic set in second century Britain and following young centurion Marcus Aquila on his quest to solve the mystery of the missing Ninth Legion. The year is 135 A.D. It's been 15 years since the Ninth Legion went missing in the mountains of Scotland, and it's up to Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) to find out what happened. His own father was the commander of the Ninth, and by discovering what fate befell the fearless leader, Aquila could restore his failing reputation. Crossing Hadrian's Wall and navigating the treacherous highlands of Caledonia won't be easy though, especially since Aquila's only traveling companion is his British slave, Esca (Jamie Bell). Along the way, Aquila will attempt to make peace with his father's memory as he and Esca confront the savage tribes of the land and attempt to recover the lost legion's golden emblem -- the treasured Eagle of the North. Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong fill out the rest of the starring cast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Feb 11, 2011

Rated PG-13 Battle sequences and some disturbing images

Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Tahar Rahim, Denis O'Hare

Review:

The Eagle is on one of those films that suffers from being released in the wake of a much better, if little seen, film about the same subject matter handled in a much better fashion with better actor. Neil Marshall’s Centurion was fantastic bloody period piece and compared to that The Eagle is a pale soulless facsimile. Kevin Macdonald clumsily directs this unfocused endeavor which meanders and never really allows you to invest in the characters or the storyline. Worse yet, Macdonald can’t direct action very well with all the action shot in extreme close up, making it incredibly difficult to figure out what’s going on during the infrequent action scenes. The story carries all the emotional weight of a pillowcase. Channing Tatum has zero screen presence and even disappears during big chunks of the film. Jamie Bell does most of the heavy lifting and he does the best he can with a hackney script that occasionally borders on homoerotic. It’s not a total failure but just not worth your time when there is a much better iteration of the subject matter. Do yourself a favor skip this one and rent Centurion especially since it’s not neutered with a PG-13 rating.

C-

[Trailer] X-Men: First Class

Super Bowl XLV Movie Commercials

Super Bowl's come and gone, here are a few of the movie trailers that got my attention.....




So it’s not a Cloverfield prequel, as originally thought, but still not able to pin down what the movie will actually be about…..



World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles is the one that I'm expecting to let me down, mainly because I think the trailers have looked impressive, maybe I'll be wrong.....



Could Michael Bay finally get it right in the supposedly last entry into the Transformers Franchise? If I didn’t love Transformers so much I might not care…..



Lastly, Captain America……considering the talent behind the camera or lack there of……..I thought this looks just awful…..

Justified Season 1

ON DVD



Old-school U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is reassigned from Miami to his childhood home in the poor, rural coal-mining towns in Eastern Kentucky.

Cast:

Timothy Olyphant - Raylan Givens
Natalie Zea - Winona Hawkins
Nick Searcy - Chief Deputy Art Mullen
Jacob Pitts - Tim Gutterson
Erica Tazel - Rachel Brooks
Joelle Carter - Ava Crowder
Walton Goggins - Boyd Crowder

REVIEW:

Timothy Olyphant just oozes cool in this Leonard Elmore adaptation, it’s adapted from his short story “Fire in the Hole”. Olyphant is incredibly comfortable in the role of Givens and his slightly crazed stare fit perfectly here. The character rich locale is populated by all sorts of country folks who range from the clichéd to surprisingly deep. Walton Goggins delivers standout work as the conflicted Boyd Crowder. Character actors abound here and they all deliver fine work. A few of the episodes teeter on the edge of corniness but nothing terribly distracting.

B+

First Look At The New "Thundercats"

As a child of the 80's I'm always curious to see how cartoons from my childhood are redone, below is the first offical image from the new show.....



Here's the official press release:

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) has begun production on ThunderCats, an all-new animated series for Cartoon Network, based upon the iconic 1980s action classic. ThunderCats is the newest series from WBA, joining Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which was recently renewed for a third season, and the following forthcoming programs: The Looney Tunes Show, MAD, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Young Justice. The announcement was made today by Sam Register, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.

"In addition to being Warner Bros. Animation's first anime series, ThunderCats marks our most ambitious foray yet into fantasy," said Register. "The realism and dynamic visual style we've achieved are sure to thrill viewers, and the cool weapons, vehicles and technology should help the show appeal to a diverse audience."

The 21st century reimagining of the series marks a creative collaboration between WBA and Studio4°C, one of the most vibrant animation studios in Japan, with credits including The Animatrix, Gotham Knights and Halo Legends. WBA is working closely with Studio4°C, utilizing the latter's expertise to give the ThunderCats characters a new cutting-edge look while remaining true to the compelling storylines and mythology of the original series.

"We at Studio4°C are excited to be in this creative partnership with Warner Bros. Animation to bring ThunderCats to life," said Eiko Tanaka, President and CEO, Studio4°C. "This collaboration combines the strengths of our two companies — high production values and great storytelling — toward reintroducing this classic fan-favorite to a new audience."

Roaring to life through WBA and Studio4°C's use of the Japanese animated artistry of anime, ThunderCats characters Lion-O, Mumm-Ra, Panthro, Cheetara and others will spring off the screen with realistic cat-like characteristics inconceivable in previous incarnations.

The new ThunderCats will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O's ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost — takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.

ThunderCats is executive produced by Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold). Michael Jelenic (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Wonder Woman) and Ethan Spaulding (Avatar: The Last Airbender) are the producers.

MOVIE REVIEWS: NO STRINGS ATTACHED

IN THEATERS

NO STRINGS ATTACHED



Lifelong friends Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) attempt to avoid falling in love after falling into each other's beds in this comedy exploring the complexities and quirks of having friends with benefits. Adam was a typical, hormonal 14 year old when he first came on to Emma at summer camp -- and got shot down in flames. In the years that followed, however, Adam and Emma continued to cross paths until eventually, they both caved to their animal instincts. Despite an intense session of earth-shaking sex, however, Emma makes it clear to Adam that the last thing she wants is a committed relationship. And thanks to the fact that Adam's father (Kevin Kline), a fallen television star, has just begun dating his son's ex-girlfriend, the horrified bachelor has developed an aversion to monogamy as well. At first their casual stance on sex worked great for both; Emma could focus on her career instead of allowing her emotions to dictate her decisions, and Adam could play the field without fear of hurting her feelings. Over, time, however, a funny thing happened -- Adam began to develop feelings for Emma that he never had for any of his countless conquests. Before they both know it, love has reared its ugly head and they've gotten too emotionally involved to cut the relationship off cold. But is commitment in the cards for the couple that always swore it would never get serious, or has the time come for them to finally part ways once and for all? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ivan Reitman

Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, Cary Elwes.

Release Date: Jan 21, 2011

Rated R for Sexual content, language and some drug content

Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Review:

Rom-com movies can be good when you have a smart script and a cast that focused. No String Attached is not one of those films. The worst part of it is that at its base it’s got an interesting conceit that could be something interesting fresh. Instead it’s the recycled beaten to death cliché you expect from the worst offenders in the genre. The script attempts to be edgy by being raunchy but it can’t mask what is just horrible comedy writing. Jokes fall flat throughout delivering only the slightest chuckle occasionally which is mostly due to the supporting cast. Natalie Portman seems to be having a good time, slumming it in a genre dominated by Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Anniston. She does a passable job but it seems more like she just needed her palette cleaned after The Black Swan. Ashton Kutcher curious ability to continue to find work as a leading man especially with this performance as he sleep walks through his scenes. It’s so bad that when he delivers the “big” line at the end of the film it carries all the weight of a feather. Making matters worse is that Portman and Kutcher share zero chemistry on screen and their characters are unbelievably matched. The supporting cast fare slightly better and make the more painful portions of this dreadful film slightly watchable. Even with that it’s hard to keep from wanting to douse your face in acid once this overlong film comes to an end.

D-