Posts Tagged ‘rent’
taken »
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
Taken
If the character, Jason Bourne, were retired, with a daughter, and starred in another movie based on the mutated sexing of The Transporter and Live Free or Die Hard (directed by the editor of Eyes Wide Shut ), it’d be called Taken. The action is gritty, the story is smart and the pace is unrelenting.
It follows Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), who used to work (vaguely) “for the government.” He’s retired to try and be a bigger part of his seventeen-year-old daughter’s (Maggie Grace) life. She, and her mother (Famke Janssen), convince him to allow her to visit Paris under less-than-true pretenses. The shit, as they say, hits the fan.
It’s an action movie. Generally, this means the premise, outcomes and character’s access to precise knowledge are absurd. (This holds true.) But, the acting is superior to your average and the basic premise is too broad not to at least dip your toes in.
It’s as entertaining as it is unrealistic and as awesome as it is… well… awesome. (Read: not getting paid for this.) Neeson is badass. Watch it if you’re in the mood for some blowing up, mixed-martial-arts maiming.
Need more? How’s this for a plot driving quote?
If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.
Answer: Unreal.
thoughts on: role models »
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008
Role Models
Have you seen The Ten? Or Wet Hot American Summer? (No one else has either.) They’re good precursors to Role Models. The first two acts are funny and then the end blows up in absurd like a tween watching a Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
Unlike those two, Role Models has a strong story, some comedic chops and doesn’t get as ridiculous at the end. Rudd is (as is the usual) hilarious. I related to his miserable trudging through the day-to-day loathing his job. (They sort of lost me when he started appreciating and enjoying life.)
It follows two guys (thankfully S.W. Scott is back in his Rundown-esque sidekick role) who sell energy drinks to high school kids. One (Rudd) has a particularly rough day and they end up sentenced to community service. Enter two childhood archetypes who need mentors that learn more from them than vice versa (duh).
There’s some hilarious use of Kiss and other random shenanigans involving foam swords. It’s well worth a rental and is more universal (read: less crass) than Superbad or Knocked Up. You won’t get as many complaints afterward. Unless you’re into that.
Unnecessary warning: not deep, enlightened or meaningful.
UTDR: the signal »
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
As promised, here’s Up the Drain Reviews. Enjoy.
I was expecting a heaping pile of delicious lame as far as this horror movie’s concerned. Here I was, all stoked for gore, inane near-plot and preposterous dialog, and am left slightly disappointed. It was mostly entertaining and oddly thoughtful, in a way.
Most of you probably haven’t heard of it because it was in theaters for a Tuesday afternoon. Fine, but you should really start paying attention. It’s a movie about a television/radio/phone signal that makes everyone go apeshit. Or something.
It’s sort of like Shaun of the Dead crossed with that Twilight Zone episode where the guy’s buzzer gets all in his face hilariously, btw. It’s some sort of statement on the subversive infiltration of technology to the point of controlling our lives not including scheduling your evenings around television, which is awesome, because I do it.
If you’re looking for something upper crust Monty Python, for example this may not be for you. I’d recommend it if you’re up for a good show. The storyline is stronger than I expected and the violence is brutally unapologetic. The humor is twisted and fairly well done. For an offering from no-names, it’s pretty decent.
The message seems to be along the lines of technology will eventually kill you so focus on what’s real. I can only assume “what’s real” involves superficial relationships with people you don’t like, reality television and basing your entire self-worth on your appearance or how you dress. I may have missed that; got distracted when some chick caught a hedge-cutter in the throat and never really recovered.
the band’s visit »
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
… is a movie more about the characters than the plot. The movie takes place over the course of a night where a band stays with good Samaritans after taking the wrong bus.
The acting is pretty good and the dialog is solid. The story develops well through conversation. It’s slow so I wouldn’t recommend it for a night you’re not in the mood for it. Still, it’s endearing and smart.
******
network »
Monday, September 1st, 2008
… is a fun look at the ratings-hungry 70s and how nothing has changed but the graphics. It’s the story of a network anchor who… well… snaps? I guess is the only way to describe it. Unfortunately, the producers notice a spike in the ratings and go with it.
It’s paced well and generally entertaining. It’s maybe not a commentary directly on the practices of the time (I can’t be sure what they were as I wasn’t around), but it’s quite fun. The acting is decent and the way the story is told is sweet, almost a documentary format.
It’s thirty years old so it may be stale to some but still maybe worth seeing. If you’re into that sort of thing. It’s a commentary on the media of the time that shows how it may have broken further to be a commentary on the current media.
******