Scott Hicks’ adaptation of the memoir of a man left to raising his son after the loss of his wife seems like a depressing subject matter, but the results are an uplifting and unique look at parenting, whether you agree or disagree with the way he goes about things, and its delivered in a top notch performance by Clive Owen as the father in question.
Joe Warr is a British sports reporter living in Australia with his wife and young son. We are introduced to the family after Joe’s wife passes away and then flashback to the events leading up to her passing. We quickly see the bond among the family is strong and true and the couple is as happy as a couple could be. While attending a party, Joe’s wife is come over with pain and they discover she has cancer. After she passes, their son Artie does handle it well but by no means melts down, the problem is more on Joe’s side of things as he looks for some way to raise his son and to further there connection as father son as it isn’t as strong as it could probably be as Joe has traveled a lot as a sports reporter through the boy’s life. [Read more...]
Review: The Boys Are Back
Rental Review – Duplicity
Duplicity has drawn a lot of comparisons to Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which does a great disservice to both films. Smith is the far superior film of the genre, and there is no way for Duplicity to reach its high level with this story, style, and quite frankly, the weaker acting.
Duplicity follows two spies, Ray Koval and Claire Stenwick (Clive Owen and Julia Roberts), who work for two different big name corporations. After first meeting five years prior to the present day, a meeting which did not end as Ray hoped, they are forced to work together when Ray is assigned to be her handler in bringing down Claire’s boss. However, in order for it to work they will have to trust each other, something not easy for people in their line of work.
The Decade's Best – Children of Men (2006)
In 2006 Alfonso Cuarón crafted one of the best sci-fi, dystopia, and adventure pictures of the decade in Children of Men. A smart, fast paced and thrilling ride that grabs you from the first scene and never let goes, Children of Men is a can’t miss adventure.
The year is 2027 and the last baby born was in 2008 and the global infertility has caused mass chaos across the world leaving England as the last somewhat secure and peaceful place to live. That is beginning to change though as a terrorist group known as the Fishes has been reeking havoc across the country planting bombs and causing disturbances in the name of proper treatment of refugees. Our hero Theo, played by the always great Clive Owen, is almost blown up by one of these bombs when getting his morning coffee and we get a glimpse of life of a non-refugee in this dystopia London. Illegal Refugees are being rounded up daily, the middle class parts of town are run down and violence is at every turn. When Theo is abducted by a group of fishes he finds out that his ex-wife is their leader and that they need his help for an important cause to the refugee movement. [Read more...]
Review: Duplicity
The latest from Tony Gilroy is not quite as good as his previous effort, but it is still a fun and fairly unconventional con game/spy/thriller that will have you scratching your head here and there as the plot unravels to the end.
Ray Koval is former MI6, Claire Stenwick is former CIA, and after a not so chance encounter and later retribution for the original act on Ray’s end, the two decide to go into business and get in on the inside of two rival companies with hopes of beating them both to the coveted prize they are fighting over. Ray gets a position at Equikrom as a consultant on an espionage team the companies CEO, Dick Garsik, has assembled with hopes of stealing the next big thing from Burkett & Randle and their head Howard Tully. Claire has acquired a position at Burkett & Randle as a chief security advisor and the two plan on playing both companies from both sides hoping to get to the end game first and cash in on prize. Both companies are in pharmaceuticals, among other things, and Garsik’s team catches wind of Burkett & Randle getting ready to launch a new revolutionary product that will put them on top for good. The game for Ray and Claire begins when Garsik orders his team to find out what Tully is planning and steal it before he can go public. The two untrusting lovers begin to spin their web and hope to come out 40 million dollars richer on the other end. [Read more...]
Review: The International
A reserved espionage thriller of sorts is constantly engaging and very well made, but is missing a few key bits to push it to the upper level.
Louis Salinger is an Interpol agent who has ties to Scotland Yard and had a mysterious exit from their ranks. He has been attempting to find dirt on a believed corrupt bank, The International Bank of Business and Credit (IBBC), which he believes to be funding arms and over throwing governments in nations around the globe. Working with him is the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office which will help them bring the company to trial do to its ties to New York. Everyone that has gotten close to the over turning stones at the IBBC has ended up missing or dead, and after an informant talks to a District Attorney’s office rep, Salinger watches him get out of the car, walk 100 yards and collapse to his death. Just hours later, the informant ends up dead as well and Salinger and another representative from the Attorney’s office, Eleanor Whitman, begin in earnest to try and unravel this bank and its power. Their investigation takes them all across Europe and to America as they uncover the pieces one at a time that might help them bring down the IBBC and expose it for the corruption it is full of. [Read more...]
Review: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
The follow up to the Oscar nominated film, Elizabeth, allows Cate Blanchett to get back into the role that made her famous and the result is a mixed bag.
Spain is threatening the rule of England and their way of life as the King Phillip of Spain uses the command of God and spread of Catholicism as an excuse to try and seize power in the Western world. Having bit at odds for sometime we come in on the action just as the tipping point tips and the wheels are put into motion to dethrone Elizabeth from her seat. [Read more...]
Review: "Extras" The Extra Special Series Finale
The feature length finale to one of the funniest television shows ever is a very well done piece but can be extremely sad and depressing at times for some of the characters we have grown to love. Now, that is not to say that there aren’t moments of hilarity as well, there are some amazing bits in here, but the film is more of a focus on people changing and growing up and dealing with coming to terms with what they have become. [Read more...]
