From Robert Zemeckis comes The Walk, the amazing true story of a man's passion to realize an extraordinary dream. After reading an article about the construction of the World Trade Center in New York, French high-wire artist Philippe Petit develops a passion to cross the twin towers on his wire and begins to train and plan for the seemingly impossible feat. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Petit and gives a brilliant performance that's extremely charismatic. And Zemeckis' directing brings a surreal quality to the film, and does an astonishing job at capturing the enormity of the towers and the void between them. A visual marvel, The Walk is incredibly exhilarating and is sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats.
The documentary CNN Tribute: America Remembers is a little self-serving but gives an informative overview of the events of 9/11 and the months that followed. The first part features top reporters and news anchors including Wolf Blitzer, Paula Zahn, Judy Woodruff, and others as they give behind-the-scenes accounts of how the news coverage unfolded during the early hours of September 11th 2001 and throughout the crisis. The second half of the film however, switches to a broad summary of what happened in the aftermath of 9/11; including the pursuit of al-Qaeda, the invasion of Afghanistan, and the second wave attacks of the Anthrax scare and the Shoe Bomber. Most of the information is conveyed with archival footage, with some commentary to transition in and out of different topics. It's not comprehensive or in-depth, but CNN Tribute: America Remembers is a fairly good Cliff's Notes version of that happened during this chapter of American history.
The Learning Channel presents World Trade Center: Anatomy of the Collapse, an in-depth look at the structural design of the World Trade Center. This documentary explores the revolutionary designing that went into creating the World Trade Center and how the design ultimately led to tragedy. Additionally, it also follows the examination of the wreckage as experts explain how the buildings were able to hold as long as they did, and why the structure ultimately collapsed. Various World Trade Center engineers and designers are interviewed, and give their perspectives on the buildings and how they influenced New York and architectural designing. World Trade Center: Anatomy of the Collapse is a captivating look at one of the greatest disasters in modern time.
The NOVA documentary Why the Towers Fell is a fascinating exploration into how the Word Trade Center disaster happened. The film follows the investigation of a blue ribbon committee that was appointed to analyze the World Trade Center collapse. Through computer modeling experts discover how the towers weathered the seemingly impossible task of withstanding a head-on aerial collision. And, engineers examine the unique design of the World Trade Center, and how it possibly contributed to the structural failure. Why the Towers Fell provides an engaging look into one of the most cataclysmic events in American history.
The Bond series gets rebooted and returns to its roots in Casino Royale. Based on the original Ian Fleming novel, the story follows MI6 secret agent James Bond as he enters into a high stakes poker tournament in order to capture a terrorist. Daniel Craig takes up the mantel of James Bond, and gives a tough and gritty portrayal of the character. And, Eva Green delivers a stunning performance that's especially compelling. However, the storytelling is poor; the plot is too cluttered and goes on for far too long. Additionally, some of the action scenes are overly contrived. Still, Casino Royale is an exciting adventure that delivers an edgier new Bond.
In a rarity among Bond films, Quantum of Solace serves as a direct sequel to Casino Royale, and works to enrich and develop this new Bond series. Following the death of Vesper, Bond seeks to hunt down the clandestine organization responsible. Daniel Craig delivers a captivating performance that gives the Bond character more emotional depth than any previous incarnation has. And the action is exceptionally well paced; the film never lags or gets cluttered with superfluous chases. Quantum of Solace is a fantastic film that shows the promise and potential of this new Bond series.
A throwback to classic Bond, Spectre is a convoluted and noisy action-adventure film. After killing a Mexican crime lord James Bond discovers a secret syndicate known as Spectre that's run by a mysterious man from Bond's past. Christoph Waltz steps into the role of Ernst Blofeld, but gives an underwhelming performance that pales to the previous incarnations. And Lea Seydoux is functionary at best as a stereotypical Bond Girl. The fight scenes and chases are exciting as usual, however none of them really standout or distinguish themselves in the pantheon of Bond action sequences. While the Craig era began strong by bringing a dark and gritty edge to the series, Spectre throws all that out and returns to the tropes and clichés of the past.
"I ain't got time to bleed." Predator is the ultimate macho action film. When an elite group of commandos go on a rescue mission to Central America they end up being hunted by the ultimate predator. The cast couldn't be better, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, and Jesse Ventura; all of whom give excellent performances and have a great on-screen chemistry. Director John McTiernan keeps the story tight and the action fast paced, making the film suspenseful and intense. Predator is one of the most iconic action films of the '80s, and a high adrenaline sci-fi adventure.
"Together again...again." The Muppets continue their wacky adventures in their first direct sequel, Muppets Most Wanted. After their successful comeback Kermit and his friends take The Muppet Show on a world tour, but when Kermit is replaced by an impostor the show is put in jeopardy. The comedy is as smart as ever, but it falls into some of the clichés that it's spoofing. And while the film is jam packed with celebrity cameos from the likes of Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Danny Trejo, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Sean Combs, the execution is fairly mediocre. But quibbles aside, the Muppets can still put on a show, and Muppets Most Wanted delivers non-stop laughs.
A prequel, or possibly a reboot, Bumblebee is a mediocre action-comedy that really scales back the level of action and adventure that the Transformers series is known for. As the Autobots face defeat on their world they send B-127 to Earth to establish a base, however he soon finds himself on the run from the US military as well as Decepticon soldiers, and hides out undercover as a teenage girl’s Volkswagen Beetle. Once again the Transformers mythos is changed up, so there’s no way of knowing if or where this film fits in the existing series. And both Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena give rather poor performances; particularly Cena, who’s playing a cartoonish military commander. Additionally, the special effects aren’t very good. The Transformer designs have been scaled back and don’t have nearly the same amount of detail or photorealism as before. Still, there are some exciting fight sequences and the soundtrack is energetic and fun. Bumblebee, while mildly entertaining, has no real ambition and is a pretty pathetic attempt to revive this waning series.
Saoirse Ronan stars in the gritty action-thriller Hanna. The story follows a young girl named Hanna who's trained by an ex-CIA agent for the day that she must come out of hiding and confront those who would seek to cover up her existence. The action sequences are especially exciting and dynamic, and Ronan brings a lot of charisma to every scene that she's in. Additionally, the Chemical Brothers deliver an amazing score for the film that's surreal and captivating. However, the storytelling is poor and holds on to the mystery of who Hanna is for too long; which makes it anticlimactic when the answers are revealed. Hanna is entertaining and action-packed, but the plot ends up being rather mundane.
Full of laughs, The Internship is a smart and heartfelt comedy. The story follows two out of work salesmen who land internships with Google, but to succeed they'll have to find a way to re-invent themselves for the digital age. Featuring a great cast, the film stars Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Rose Byrne. Vaughn and Wilson deliver their usual dry, satiric comedy, and it works pretty well. However, the shameless Google propaganda becomes rather distracting. Despite the formulaic plot structure and the stereotypical characters, The Internship is a lot of fun and has a positive message.
A truly pathetic film, Ocean's Twelve tries to get by on charisma alone...and fails. It's pretty clear from the start that there's no story, and that it's just being made up as it goes along; to the point where Julia Roberts's character ends up impersonating Julia Roberts (which is beyond stupid). And, the characters have been rewritten and changed to fit this idiotic story. Additionally, there's no intrigue or suspense to the heists. The actors still have some good chemistry, but that's about all that the film has going for it. Ocean's Twelve is a lackluster sequel that no one seems to be putting much effort into.
Once again the Bond series passes off recycled material as a new film, but For Your Eyes Only somehow makes it work. When a covert British naval ship carrying a ballistic missile control system onboard is sunk, Bond is tasked with recovering it before it's found and sold on the black market by mercenaries. The film hits the usual action beats, and they're done pretty well; adding intensity and danger to the film. And, Carole Bouquet's performance is fairly strong (as far as Bond girls go), but the henchmen are nothing special. For Your Eyes Only delivers all the usual Bond tropes, but mixes things up enough to stay adventurous and exciting.
The infamous Moonraker is notorious as the worst of the Bond films and turns the series into a comedic farce. This adventure takes James Bond into space, where he has to stop a megalomaniacal villain from poisoning the planet as part of a nefarious plan to re-build the human race. Jaws returns for a second bite and becomes a much more interesting and compelling henchmen. However, Lois Chiles is an incredibly lackluster Bond girl, and is nothing but dead weight. But what's most disappointing is that everything's derivative of the previous films. Some of the ridiculousness of Moonraker is fun and entertaining, but the film just doesn't hold together.
James Bond comes face-to-face with his ultimate nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in You Only Live Twice. The US and Soviet Union are being pushed towards war by SPECTRE, and it's up to James Bond to stop them. The series once again goes big, with space shuttles, secret volcano lairs, and ninja armies. And the plot holes are equally as big, highlighting the poor writing of the film. Yet the action is as good as ever, delivering some spectacular fight sequences. With You Only Live Twice, Sean Connery leaves the series with a bang.
From Russia With Love continues the Bond story in an exciting new adventure full of exotic women, deadly assassins, and megalomaniacal villains. Picking up shortly after the last film, SPECTRE plots revenge on Bond by orchestrating a plan to steal a Russian cipher device while also framing James Bond for murder and espionage. Sean Connery returns as Bond and delivers a strong, compelling performance. However, the story has a few too many tangents and meanders a bit. But despite the film's weaknesses, From Russia With Love is a solid and entertaining action thriller.
Bond....James Bond. Ian Fleming's ultimate spy gets his big screen debut in Dr. No. The story follows MI6 secret agent James Bond, who is sent to Jamaica to look into the disappearance of an operative who was investigating the activities of the mysterious Dr. No. Sean Connery crafts an iconic character in James Bond, whose charisma carries the film. But, the plot is rather thin and the writing is poor. Unfortunately, Dr. No hasn't aged very well and comes off as a little hokey and underwhelming.
Scream meets Groundhog Day in the satiric horror film Happy Death Day. Tree Gelbman discovers that she’s trapped living the same day over and over again, being killed by a masked stranger, and attempts to break the cycle by finding out who her killer is. Jessica Rothe gives a pretty strong performance and does a good job at subtly changing the character as she goes through the different death cycles. However, the murder mystery isn’t really that interesting or well-constructed. In fact, the killer and their motivation seem rather arbitrary. Happy Death Day is a weak slasher film, but it has a fun concept and is entertaining.
Labyrinth is a bizarre and surreal fantasy tale from writer/director Jim Henson. In the film a young girl slips into a dreamlike world and must navigate a labyrinth that confronts her with her innermost demons. Jennifer Connelly gives a strong performance and interacts seamlessly with the puppet characters. However, it's David Bowie's inspired performance as the Goblin King that's most captivating. Aside from acting, David Bowie also wrote and performed several songs for the film that are absolutely spellbinding. There are some issues with the storytelling, but the puppetry is amazing. Even with its flaws, Labyrinth is an exceptionally imaginative and creative film that's a lot of fun.
Stand By Me is a compelling and touching coming-of-age film by director Rob Reiner. Based on a novella by Stephen King, the story follows four friends who go searching for the body of a missing kid, hoping to claim a reward. Starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell, the film has an impressive cast that has great chemistry together and gives incredibly good performances. The characters are also exceptionally well-written; feeling especially real and relatable. And, the costumes and set designs have a remarkably authentic 1950s Americana look that has a nostalgic quality to it. Additionally, the soundtrack is extraordinarily well-done; capturing the playful, carefree youth of the characters. A wonderful film about friendship and the loss of innocence, Stand By Me is a timeless classic.
Blitz is yet another Jason Statham vehicle that under delivers. When London is terrorized by a serial killer (known as Blitz) who's targeting cops, a rogue cop (aka Statham) must go outside of the law in order to bring him to justice. As plots go, it's not a bad one, and there's a subplot or two that helps to heighten the intrigue. But, the film lacks the focus to hold the action and suspense that the story attempts to build. Yet despite its problems, Blitz is still a pretty entertaining crime thriller.
A modern update of Day of the Dead, Patient Zero is a frightening horror-thriller. In the aftermath of a rage virus that turns people rabid, a secret underground military base experiments on the infected looking for a cure; but when they discover an Infected who’s intelligent and doesn’t react like the others they start to question everything they think they know. Featuring Natalie Dormer and Stanley Tucci, the film has a pretty strong cast, and the writers do a good job at setting up the post-apocalyptic world and the Infection. Additionally, the action scenes are well-done and full of suspense. Yet the blood and gore never gets gratuitous (as most zombie/virus films want to do). Patient Zero is a smart and exciting Romero-esque horror film.
Incredibly boring, The Amityville Murders tells the true-ish story of the 1974 DeFeo murders. In the fall of 1974 troubled teenager Ronald DeFeo Jr. is slowly driven mad by an abusive father and shadow spirits until he snaps and kills his entire family. Unfortunately there’s no real suspense, as Ronald looks and acts crazy from the jump. And despite a few attempts to attribute Ron’s spirit visions to drugs use and hints at possible mob involvement, the film clearly depicts the supernatural as real and responsible for the murders (as Ronald and others claim). The performances are rather bland and none of the characters are all that interesting. Among the myriad of films made about Amityville, The Amityville Murders is one of the weaker and more forgettable entries.
A rote crime thriller, Acts of Violence is a pretty standard revenge film. When a young woman is abducted her fiancé and his two brothers team-up to find her and discover that she’s being held by a crime boss who’s running a sex trafficking ring. Featuring Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore, Sofia Bush, and Bruce Willis, the film has a fairly strong cast. And the action scenes are especially well-done. However, the script is rather weak and does a poor job at integrating the main plot with a subplot about a burned out cop who’s investigating missing girls and gets a lead on the crime boss who’s behind their abductions. Also, the film doesn’t really develop a sense of family between the brothers. Still, the performances by the cast are able to make up for some of the script’s weaknesses. While Acts of Violence is underdeveloped, there’s a fair amount of suspense and intrigue and it does some interesting things with the material.
Face/Off is a high adrenaline thriller from acclaimed director John Woo. The story follows anti-terrorist agent Sean Archer who's surgically altered to go undercover as terrorist leader Castor Troy, but the op goes wrong when Troy is able to assume Archer's identity. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage lead the cast and bring a lot of charisma to the film. And whatever one thinks of John Woo, he knows how to shoot action. The story has a few failings, but the action is riveting and intense. As popcorn action movies go, Face/Off is an entertaining, nonstop thrill ride.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger team up for the action thriller Escape Plan. When a security expert goes undercover to test the escapability of a secret CIA prison he's betrayed and left there to die. The film does a good job at developing mystery and tension, particularly in how it sets up the escape. However, the acting is pretty mediocre; except for Jim Caviezel, who creates a strong, interesting character. Escape Plan has some problems, but it's still an entertaining and provocative film.
The old '80s & '90s action stars are back for another round in The Expendables 3. The series' trademark stunt casting is rather underwhelming this time, losing more than it gains as Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, and Harrison Ford are poor substitutes for Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Still, Mel Gibson is a good get and makes for a charismatic villain. The plot is typical action movie schlock, but it works well enough. However, the film buries the lead by holding back on the old action stars kicking ass and limiting their screen time. Yet when all is said and done, The Expendables 3 is an enjoyable film that delivers plenty of explosive action scenes.
"You can't beat a classic." The Expendables 2 ramps up the action and delivers an explosive, adrenaline fueled thrill ride. This time the Expendables are hired to recover a map of a former Soviet plutonium mine that a terrorist group is attempting to exploit. Most of the cast from the first film return and are joined by Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Director Simon West handles the action exceptionally well and is able to utilize each of the main actors effectively. However, the dialog is a bit weak and there's a fair amount of cheesiness in the film. Still, when it comes to raw, adrenaline-pumping action, The Expendables 2 can't be beat.
An exciting action-comedy, RED 2 is an incredibly entertaining spy thriller. When classified documents are leaked that link retired CIA agent Frank Moses to a black ops mission in Moscow he's forced to go on the run from government assassins seeking to cover up the mission. The plot gets a little convoluted, but ends up being a rather fun adventure. The comedy's a little rote, but the actors are able to make it work. Most of the original cast returns, and are joined by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins. And, the visual style incorporates an interesting animated comic aesthetic that helps to create a lighthearted, high-energy tone for the film. RED 2 is a little formulaic, but still delivers an enjoyable romp.
