21

The theme of coolness definitely seemed to be the main objective in Robert Luketic's high energy 21. I actually saw this almost a year ago today when it was first released. I bought the DVD when it came out (I think it even came with a nifty deck of cards), and watched it again upon buying it. I kind of remember liking it better when I had first seen it on the big screen, so after this one viewing of the DVD I decided to put it back on my shelf. And on my DVD shelf it sat, until last night. :)

21 is the based on the true story tale of a group of MIT students who decide to live out their every fantasies by counting cards in Las Vegas on the weekends. What starts as an almost hobby though, soon becomes an addiction that's hard to quit.

Ben Campbell, a young hopefully trained doctor, decides to take up this unique opportunity to suffice his needing of cash to pay for his schooling at Harvard. He's smart, and has everything going for him...well, except that he needs his tuition cost.

This time when watching it, I enjoyed it again. It's an ultra cool, slick look at life living out the high rollers every dream.

I think what I like most about 21 is this sense of friendship and an almost family between these few students. Maybe it's my own wanting to put myself in their group that I identify with? Who knows. I doubt I could really cut it as a card counter anyway. ;)

Jim Sturgess is more then nice to look at, and gives a very honest portrayal of Ben. I quite liked Kate Bosworth too in her role. Kevin Spacey adds his own charm as usual, but nothing really else. This role seemed easy for him. Same goes for Laurence Fishburne too. The two standouts for me are Liza Lapira and Aaron Yoo (you may recognize him from Disturbia). They are fun, witty, and looked as if they were truly having the times of their lives.

Is this the most amazing film I have ever seen? No, and yes, it does sort of run on the slow side at times. But it is a fun entertaining film, with a killer soundtrack. I give it a 7/10.

The DVD features include a few featurettes and a filmmaker commentary. This film is rated PG-13 and runs 123 minutes.

The International Review

So yes, my weeks of waiting on the edge of my seat for a new Tom Tykwer movie with my amazing Clive Owen finally came to an end the other day. A promise of a great espionage thriller was presented to me. But was it really all I had hoped it would be? Was the wait really worth it?

Well, not exactly. Now before I go on, I didn't hate it, in fact it was quite the contrary, but I didn't especially love it either.

Basic premise: Our hero wants justice of the villains, in an unjust world. The story is that of an Interpol Agent, Louie (played by Clive Owen), who has been trying to take down these high figures in the bank world for years now. He finally just might have his way of doing this, when he finds help with the US government. (This is where Naomi Watts comes in). This classic tale of cat and mouse becomes dated with the use of our financial world really using all this money to fund terrorism. This is actually the true brilliance of this tale - a terrifying, real scenario, but somehow gets lost along the way, with unrealistic ventures.

The film opens in the mystifying Berlin, it seems like the perfect opening, we are on a mission of some kind. People are doing deals, and risking their lives. It really is a great start to get us all in the film. But then...something happens. I cannot quite pinpoint when it loses it for me, but it could quite possibly have been when we are sent to New York. Something just didn't quite seem to fit. And I also kind of kept getting the feeling that it was trying to be the next Bourne movie, or maybe that it was trying not to be it? It's hard to say.

There were some great action sequences, although they did feel a little out of place compared with the rest of the tone of the film. The battle in the Guggenheim is splendid, as is the chase in the markets of Istanbul. The places really made this film. And actually, in all honesty, I really loved the end of the film, set in Turkey. It had something to it, that touched on greatness...but maybe again, it was just that the locations were so spectacular? Hmm...

The amazing thing this films does have going for it, is on its quest for a more dialogue enriched film, it does allow us as the audience to be given the chance to be our smart selves. It does not dumb itself down for us, which I always admire in films.

Clive Owen is someone I always enjoy watching. He does not disspoint me in this. He's great. He has this air about him, that he really doesn't care what anyone thinks, that find to be extremely captivating. I was also quite amused that by the end of the film he look quite the mess! Unlike most Hollywood films, where the stars must remain perfect, even though they've been under heavy fire for the last 5 days. ;)

Naomi Watts, however, did not entertain me so much. Now I usually love her work, she really is one of my favorite actresses, but she just didn't really bring anything to this role. I feel like really anyone could have played this character.

Armin Mueller-Stahl is brilliant though! He really is a treat to watch. He never once let the absurdity bother him from bringing a truly great performance.

The director, who also gave himself to help with the actually really great film score, Tom Tykwer, offered some great scenes, but it is nowhere near the level of genius that Run Lola Run offered. But, then again, that is quite a film to have to follow ;).

Overall The International is better then most out there. It has a great idea, and some really great locals, and for that I would recommend it. It's not perfect, but then again, what really is nowadays. Clive Owen fans will be entertained, and again, it really is quite better then some other ones out there. I give it a 7/10.

This film is rated R and runs 118 minutes.

Happy viewing everyone! =)

Push Review

Push is a 'Heroes' type film that involves a special group of very talented people who must find a way to stop the evil government from following through with their evil plans.

According to this film, back during WWII, the Nazis made expieriments on people with slightly hieghtened abilities. From here various "special" people were created. There are Pushers, Movers, Warchers, Bleeders, Spiffs (I think?)...and yeah, feel like you need to take notes yet?? ;)

This film produces a lot of information with not a lot of room to expand. The premise really is quite brilliant, but however much it tried, and believe me, it really did try, it just seemed to have a really hard time of reaching greatness. Infact, it never really made it. It circled around it for a while, but just never really arrived.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the film. I actually liked it a lot, it was fun, entertaining, and just what I needed at the day at the movies.

Dakota Fanning was really great as Cassie (a Watcher). I think that girl is way mature beyond her years.

Cris Evans was alright in the film. I kind of feel like anyone could have done his role though, but he fit quite well.

Djimon Hounsou is always great, and he was very fun to watch in the opening scene - I really loved when he coolly walked in with his shades on, haha, awesome! =)

The shots of Hong Kong are amazing - it offers a whole other level of a character. It almost has a Blade Runner feel to the whole thing.

So is Push worth your money? Well...if you're in the mood for super-human people trying to save what they know, then yes, I think you will enjoy this film. I did. It's a good time at the movies. I give it a 7/10.

Quantum of Solace

James Bond is one of those icons that will never die for us. He really is the prefect character. The men all want to be him, the women all want to be with him. He is the perfect escape character for all of us. James Bond can do everything, and always, always gets his girl.

So how does this most recent addition to the James Bond series add up? Well, if it’s action scenes and great car chases you’re looking for, then look no further. But if you’re looking for a deeper more meaningful story, then this might not be the film for you. Now say what you will about Casino Royale, but I really enjoyed that one. Quantum of Solace, however, I liked a little less. I think this may be due to the fact that I just feel like the story didn’t really add up to much. It does have some unbelievable scenes though - which is great - but not enough to make this film overall great. I did, though, absolutely love the scene at the opera - it was pure genius, and oh so beautiful to watch.

Daniel Craig is a great James Bond though. I feel he has the ability to be suave and smart, while adding this hardcore raw element that makes James Bond that much hotter. And he really is very good in Quantum of Solace. The girl, though, I feel was miscast. She’s beautiful to look at, but I feel she lacks the ability to have us really feel with her. Jeffrey Wright, though, is always fun to watch. I loved him in Casino Royale, and I feel he’s just as good in this one.

If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining film, well then Quantum of Solace will satisfy you, but don’ expect another Casino Royale with this one. Overall, this one is fun, but that’s about it. 7/10.

Happy viewing everyone! =)

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Film Review

Okay, okay, so before I go too far and get bashed for having non-artistic taste in films, yes, I’m a huge fan of the Underworld series. I think they’re amazingly fun stories, enriched with gorgeous cinematography that allows any viewer to want to bring out their black clothing and nail polish. Well, okay, so maybe not that far, but I will say that my love for this franchise much helped my love this most recent edition to the Underworld series. Will it win an Oscar? No. Will it entertain? Yes. While gothic themes have long been a favorite of mine portrayed on film (Tim Burton is definitely one of my all time favorite directors - his Sleepy Hollow is like magic to me), this does not mean that it doesn’t have something for everyone. It has amazing battle scenes, a great love story, and enough of a main story to keep everyone interested.

For those of you not familiar with this most recent film, it takes the viewer back to the age of Lucian and Viktor. It shows how the great war was started (although, I’m still waiting for the amazingly bloody war to be shown on screen). It gives a great background to the Lycans and shows us just how evil Viktor can really be. Although he does have his reasons, for better or worse, he believes he’s doing the right thing.

Michael Sheen is a bloody brilliant actor (no pun intended). I have admired his work for quite sometime now. He never ceases to disappoint me (really, go see him in Frost/Nixon). He again doesn’t disappoint me here. He has this brilliant ability where he can tell the entire story with his eyes - I love that. Bill Nighy never disappoints either. He had me laughing quite a bit in this one - not that he’s bad by any means, but he’s just so freaking brilliant! His sparkle studded ’Vegas style’ coat was awesome as well. A great actor. I felt all the roles were played quite well, considering that this is a film for entertainment, I was more then entertained.

Now, anyone who decides to pop in the first Underworld film before or after the viewing may wonder why Sonja is blond in one, and brunette in the other, but then again, these are easy things to look over when being entertained. And I for one, just decided to say that because Michael is seeing these memories, and people do not always remember things correctly, that maybe he just got the hair color wrong. Things dealing with memories always take me back to the great little film entitled Memento, where he makes the comment about memory not being perfect, memory can change the color of the room, location, etc. But, that’s another film.

So do I recommend Underworld: Rise of the Lycans? Yes. For a great escape to another world it will give you just that. And it has enough violence and action to let you remember that fantasy films are for adults just as much as they are for children. But leave the kids at home for this one, fyi. ;) So grab your favorite black coat and head on down to witness vampires and lycans true beginning unfold before your eyes in brilliant tones of blues and blacks.

7/10.

Happy viewing everyone!