MOVIE REVIEWS: UNKNOWN

IN THEATERS

UNKNOWN




A man (Liam Neeson) wakes up from a coma while on a business trip to Europe only to find that some other man has taken his identity and stepped into his life. Diane Kruger and January Jones co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz

Release Date: Feb 18, 2011

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content

Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Unknown is a capable and engaging thriller that major fault is simply being overly derivate throughout. Jaume Collet-Serra gives his film a glossy sheen and directs the action and suspense with appropriate vigor even if the extent of an artist side extends to having the camera turn askew when his main character questions his situation. Truthfully, you could watch sections of this film and Neeson’s 2008 spy film Taken and never know the difference. Neeson brings the same gravel voiced gravitas he brought to his last pulp hit but with a twinge of confusion and desperation. He’s still incredibly magnetic and believable even in some of the more ridiculous sequences presented here. Diane Kruger is adequate even if her fluctuating Bosnian accent is sometime more intriguing than her character. January Jones has perfected the art of the blank stare to the point were she should consider trade marking it. Bruno Ganz has a fun supporting role which he seems to enjoy as much as the audience. Aidan Quinn and Frank Langella show up momentarily purely for nefarious reason and disappear just as quickly. The third act has a slight twist which is bit of let down because it can’t even be called derivative anymore as it’s closer to plagiarism of another recent spy franchise. Still, if you can get past how everything reminds you of something else you’ll be moderately entertained, mainly by Mr. Neeson’s bravado.

C

Adrianne Palicki is Wonder Woman for new NBC Pilot

Adrianne Palicki is Wonder Woman for new NBC Pilot



In case you haven’t heard, David E. Kelly (Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public) has been given the green light to do a pilot for a new version of Wonder Woman.

Since Lynda Carter, my first celebrity crush, made me a Wonder Woman fan since I was a wee lad I’ve been waiting anxiously to find out who’d finally get cast.

So Adrianne Palicki has been cast, I’m a bit surprised, to be honest, but think she might be able to pull it off, even if I’m not totally sold on the new concept:

Click the link below, just highlight it;

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/19554/adrianne-palicki-cast-as-wonder-woman-

Palicki is an admitted comic book nerd, so that's always a bonus.

Either way I’m very curious to see how this comes out…..

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+