Robin Hood

Robin Hood 2010
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Brian Hegeland
Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Matthew Macfayden, Kevin Durand and Scott Grimes
There have been many incarnations of Robin Hood and this version directed by Ridley Scott is the latest one. I was surprised by how much I liked this film. It has what I feel is Crowe’s best performance since Gladiator and the film has the feel of Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven but this time he gets it right. The action sequences are amazing and I loved the camaraderie scenes between Robin and his band that brought a nice feeling of levity to the film. The film has beautiful cinematography and the editing used is top notch as well. The film has a strong overall storyline that never felt bogged down and an excellent cast that really immersed itself into the role. This is a fine period action film with some great action sequences peppered throughout.
The plot basics are this, After King Richard’s (Huston) death during the crusades archer Robin Longstride (Crowe) along with his band of men return to England and stop a theft of the king’s crown by Godfrey (Strong) and Robin makes a vow to bring it back to Prince John (Isaac). Along with the sword of Robin of Locksley. When he brings the sword back to Locksley’s home he agrees to p[portray the deceased landowner to help the people keep their land. Robin soon finds that he must defend these people from Godfrey who has wormed his way into the side of Prince John and is now waylaying villages left and right. This forces Robin to make a stand and face Godfrey once and for all.
This is a rousing film. Scott’s direction is magnificent and very epic in its scope. He handles the action sequences very well. The opening and climactic battle scenes are prime examples of this. He also handles the small character moments very well. The script does a good job of humanizing Robin and really making you side with him. Also, the relationship with Marion slowly builds which makes it all the more believable. The cast is excellent in the film. Crowe portrays a very strong and resourceful Robin. Blanchett is a strong and indomitable Marian as well. Sydow as always is strong here too. Strong makes a implacably evil villain too. While Isaac makes a Prince John you are unsure about until the very end. The action sequences are astounding and I especially loved the climactic battle scene. The score by Mark Streitenfeld is epic in its scope and very fitting for the film. All in all, this is a solid action film and well worth checking out.
This one gets 4 out of 5

Robin Hood

Robin Hood 2010
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Brian Hegeland
Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy, Matthew Macfayden, Kevin Durand and Scott Grimes
There have been many incarnations of Robin Hood and this version directed by Ridley Scott is the latest one. I was surprised by how much I liked this film. It has what I feel is Crowe’s best performance since Gladiator and the film has the feel of Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven but this time he gets it right. The action sequences are amazing and I loved the camaraderie scenes between Robin and his band that brought a nice feeling of levity to the film. The film has beautiful cinematography and the editing used is top notch as well. The film has a strong overall storyline that never felt bogged down and an excellent cast that really immersed itself into the role. This is a fine period action film with some great action sequences peppered throughout.
The plot basics are this, After King Richard’s (Huston) death during the crusades archer Robin Longstride (Crowe) along with his band of men return to England and stop a theft of the king’s crown by Godfrey (Strong) and Robin makes a vow to bring it back to Prince John (Isaac). Along with the sword of Robin of Locksley. When he brings the sword back to Locksley’s home he agrees to p[portray the deceased landowner to help the people keep their land. Robin soon finds that he must defend these people from Godfrey who has wormed his way into the side of Prince John and is now waylaying villages left and right. This forces Robin to make a stand and face Godfrey once and for all.
This is a rousing film. Scott’s direction is magnificent and very epic in its scope. He handles the action sequences very well. The opening and climactic battle scenes are prime examples of this. He also handles the small character moments very well. The script does a good job of humanizing Robin and really making you side with him. Also, the relationship with Marion slowly builds which makes it all the more believable. The cast is excellent in the film. Crowe portrays a very strong and resourceful Robin. Blanchett is a strong and indomitable Marian as well. Sydow as always is strong here too. Strong makes a implacably evil villain too. While Isaac makes a Prince John you are unsure about until the very end. The action sequences are astounding and I especially loved the climactic battle scene. The score by Mark Streitenfeld is epic in its scope and very fitting for the film. All in all, this is a solid action film and well worth checking out.
This one gets 4 out of 5


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcDeNo6KUs

Friday Flashbacks: Escape From L.A.

Escape From L.A. 1996
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill and Kurt Russell
Starring Kurt Russell, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Valeria Golino, Stacy Keach, Pam Grier, Bruce Campbell, George Corraface, Michelle Forbes, A. J. Langer and Peter Jason
After 15 years Carpenter returns to one of his most popular creations with Escape From L.A. This is really more an understated remake than a sequel though. It has some outlandish sequences but Russell plays Plissken with the same panache he did in the original film. This film is much more a satire that the first film was and that really works to its benefit. The film is nicely paced with some great action sequences, though it does have some poor ones like the surfing sequence. The story is smart and witty and is held together by a solid cast of actors. The cinematography and set design of the film is pulled off tremendously well too. All in all this is a great science fiction satire film that ages very well I think.
The plot basics are this, the year is 2013 and Snake Plissken (Russell) is back. A earthquakes has separated Los Angeles from the New Moral America led by their new President (Robertson) who feels as if he speaks for God. His daughter (Langer) has absconded with a nuclear device to L.A. and united with the island’s de facto leader Cuervo Jones (Corraface). The President has injected Snake with a virus which will kill him in 9 hours and he will only get the antidote if he brings back his daughter and the device. The odds are stacked against Snake and he has little time to complete this mission. Will he be able to do it?
This is a fun and energetic film. Carpenter’s direction as always is solid. The chase sequences are really done very well. The sets look very authentic and you believe that this could be a downtrodden Los Angeles. The script is very witty and smart, I especially liked the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills part quite a bit. Snake is characterized very well and you root for him very easily. The cast is quite good too. Russell as Plissken gives a great sardonic and laconic performance. Buscemi gives a great comedic performance. I really enjoyed Keach playing the Van Cleef role in this film too. The brief cameo by Campbell is also quite a treat and a delight to watch. The SDX in the film can be somewhat cheesy but worjs in that the film is very campy. The score by Carpenter and Shirley Walker is reminiscent of the original film while still giving the film its own spin. This is a solidly entertaining SF action film and well worth a second look.
This one get 4 out of 5

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 2010
Director: Mike Newell
Writers: Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle and Ronald Pickup
Prince of Persia is the latest in the video game to film adaptations and is definitely one of the ones that is more faithful to the games that it is based on. It is made by the same production company that makes the very popular Pirates of the Caribbean series and it has the epic feel of those films but seems to be a step down from those as well. The film has the feeling of the Sinbad films of old, just without the mythical creatures that inhabit those films. The film is fast and light and has a good lead hero in Gyllenhaal. The film really shines whenever Molina is onscreen, he really steals the movie. The action sequences are quite breathtaking and really keep you inside the moment. The film has a great sense of good and evil and does not try to over complicate things. This is definitely a summer popcorn flick and a fun one.
The plot basics are this, in the ancient empire of Persia we meet a young boy living on the streets, Dastan (Gyllenhaal) is adopted through an act of kindness by the King (Pickup). He grows up as a mighty warrior and a prince. He is at a battle encampment with his other brothers when a spy comes in to tell them that the city they are battling has a hidden cache of weapons. They use this news and attack the city becoming victorious and Dastan brings a cloak to his adopted father, the King, but it somehow kills him. So, he is now on the run for his life with a Princess from the beaten city (Arterton). Dastan now tries to clear his name with the princess in tow. Dastan finds the true meaning behind the city’s attack and how it could mean the end of all life and now must proceed on a perilous journey to right these wrongs and save the world.
This is a fun and action packed film. Newell’s direction is superbly done. The aerial movments of Dastan are photographed beautifully well. The chase scenes through the city are done very well. The small character moments between Dastan and Tammina are alos done with much flourish. The script is light and simple, something that is hard to do when you braoch the subject of time travel, but this one makes it work. The characters come to life very well and you care and sympathize with them. The cast is quite good. Gylennhaal is a solid hero and pulls off the heroics very well. Arterton is quite stunning and a joy to watch throughout the film as the heroine. Kingsley as always makes a great and nefarious villain. Molina as the snide and opportunistic con artist really steals the film and is a delight to watch every time he is on screen. The SFX and action sequences are done very well. This film has some of the best sword fighting sequences I have seen in a film in quite a while. The score by Harry Gregson Williams is sweeping and epic and really fits the film very well. This is by far one of the best video game adaptations I have seen and an enjoyably summer action film to boot.
This one gets 4 out of 5

Killers

Killers 2010
Director: Robert Luketic
Writers: Bob DeRosa and Ted Griffin
Starring Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Hiegel, Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara, Rob Riggle and Martin Mull
I rented this one because I needed something to kill a few hours and it did that but not much else. The film is rather uninspired and is pretty much a bad rip off of a far better film, in this case it being Mr. and Mrs. Smith. That film the 2 leads had great chemistry together, whereas in this film the 2 leads are dead weights together. They really do not connect and they don’t make the story flow together too well either. The plot is pretty banal and the writing for the film does not help much either. The action sequences also seem sloppily put together. The only saving grace of the film I think is the performance by Tom Selleck, he does a great job with what he is left to work with. This film is basically a time waster and utterly forgettable.
The plot basics are this, Spencer Ames (Kutcher) is a undercover hitman for the government, but he meets Jen (Hiegel) during a mission and falls in love and decides right then and there to give up his profession and falls in love and marries her. Flash forward 3 years later and on hid 30th birthday Spencer gets a call from his old handler (Mull). It seems like he is getting pulled back into the business and he never told Jen about this. Not long after this he finds that he is the target of a multi million dollar contract on his life and he has to let Jen in on what he used to do and now she has to either stand by her man or cut herself loose from him.
This was at best a mediocre film. The direction by Lutekvic is haphazard at best. The action scenes seem rather clumsy and his character building scenes are just boring as hell to sit through. The script does not fare much better. You do not really sympathize with any of the main characters. The dynamics between the 2 leads just don’t work. It is just painful to sit through. The cast is not stellar either, both Kutcher and Hiegel seem very wooden in their performance. The only high point is the rather glib performance by Selleck in the film, he really makes his part worth watching. The action sequences are pretty humdrum, like the car chase scene which I have seen done far better in many other films. It just leaves a lot to be desired. The score by Rolfe Kent is very generic too and is really just a throwaway score and adds nothing to the film. All in all this is just a bad movie and really not worth much at all.
This one gets 2 out of 5

Machete

Machete 2010
Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis
Writers: Robert Rodriguez and Alvaro Rodriguez
Starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson and Lindsay Lohan
Machete was film I had been waiting to see since the trailer premiered in 2007’s Grindhouse. I wondered if a film could pay off on all the greatness that the trailer promised and this film did. Hell, so far this is the best film I have seen this year. This is a film that is so comic booky and over the top you can’t help but grin as you watch it. It has a great ensemble cast and it is great to see Trejo finally get his due and he really embodies a 70’s gritty action hero here. The script is outlandish and crazy but it works. The action is out there too and it’s hard to get move over the top than gutting someone and then using his intestines to rappel through a window. That made the film a hit right there. The use of immigration as a topic really made the film timely too. This is just a rollercoaster ride of a film and everyone should have a fun time with it.
The plot basics are this, Machete (Trejo) is a ex-federale who is betrayed on his last mission and he retires and becomes a day laborer in Texas. He is picked up by a business man (Fahey) who offers him 150 thousand dollars to assassinate a senator (De Niro). He accepts but is betrayed at the assassination and is now on the run from the men who hired him and who are now trying to kill him. They did not expect him to be a tough man to kill though. Soon, Machete teams up with a immigration agent (Alba) to take down the whole conspiracy he finds. Machete then goes on a revenge rampage that will leave anyone in his way dead.
This is an awesome action film. Rodriguez direction is tight and he does the exploitation feel even better here than he did in Planet Terror. The opening scene and the scene at the hospital are just 2 great examples of this. The script is pretty camp and I really think that works out well. I especially loved the badness of Seagal’s death scene and Alba’s supposedly rousing speech. The cast is excellent. Trejo makes a great hero and says a lot with very few words, you really believe he is the bad ass you see on the screen. De Niro gives his best performance since Stardust and it is always great to see Fahey working. Lohan surprisingly does a good job with her small role and I loved the little bits with Tom Savini. Rodriguez does a good job too and is very sexy in the role. Alba and Seagal are pretty bad but I think that is what Rodriguez was going for. The SFX and make up effects are done very well. The film is very bloody and it all looks quite real. The score by John Dabney is great and really makes the film feel like a lost 70’s exploitation film. This is a rousing and bombastic action film and is one I will definitely be seeing again.
This one gets 5 out of 5

Machete

Machete 2010
Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis
Writers: Robert Rodriguez and Alvaro Rodriguez
Starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson and Lindsay Lohan
Machete was film I had been waiting to see since the trailer premiered in 2007’s Grindhouse. I wondered if a film could pay off on all the greatness that the trailer promised and this film did. Hell, so far this is the best film I have seen this year. This is a film that is so comic booky and over the top you can’t help but grin as you watch it. It has a great ensemble cast and it is great to see Trejo finally get his due and he really embodies a 70’s gritty action hero here. The script is outlandish and crazy but it works. The action is out there too and it’s hard to get move over the top than gutting someone and then using his intestines to rappel through a window. That made the film a hit right there. The use of immigration as a topic really made the film timely too. This is just a rollercoaster ride of a film and everyone should have a fun time with it.
The plot basics are this, Machete (Trejo) is a ex-federale who is betrayed on his last mission and he retires and becomes a day laborer in Texas. He is picked up by a business man (Fahey) who offers him 150 thousand dollars to assassinate a senator (De Niro). He accepts but is betrayed at the assassination and is now on the run from the men who hired him and who are now trying to kill him. They did not expect him to be a tough man to kill though. Soon, Machete teams up with a immigration agent (Alba) to take down the whole conspiracy he finds. Machete then goes on a revenge rampage that will leave anyone in his way dead.
This is an awesome action film. Rodriguez direction is tight and he does the exploitation feel even better here than he did in Planet Terror. The opening scene and the scene at the hospital are just 2 great examples of this. The script is pretty camp and I really think that works out well. I especially loved the badness of Seagal’s death scene and Alba’s supposedly rousing speech. The cast is excellent. Trejo makes a great hero and says a lot with very few words, you really believe he is the bad ass you see on the screen. De Niro gives his best performance since Stardust and it is always great to see Fahey working. Lohan surprisingly does a good job with her small role and I loved the little bits with Tom Savini. Rodriguez does a good job too and is very sexy in the role. Alba and Seagal are pretty bad but I think that is what Rodriguez was going for. The SFX and make up effects are done very well. The film is very bloody and it all looks quite real. The score by John Dabney is great and really makes the film feel like a lost 70’s exploitation film. This is a rousing and bombastic action film and is one I will definitely be seeing again.
This one gets 5 out of 5