Movie Spot news & Reviews Week Of Oct 27th 2009

It’s trick or treats time again! Halloween is nearly here so read on for my list of the top ten horror films of all time! Plus this week’s releases including the latest Ice Age, the latest Woody Allen, a creepy Halloween horror film and a very violent ridiculous actioner the type of which we all love

This weeks Releases

Ice Age –Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Cast: Cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, Chris Wedge, Simon Pegg

Manny, Diego and pals find themselves tangling with T-rexes for this, a third outing, after Sid the Sloth discovers a forgotten dino paradise buried deep beneath the ice. It’s yet another excuse for the woolly troupe to set out on an epic journey, following in the well-trodden tracks of its predecessors. Simon Pegg’s (Hot Fuzz, Run Fat Boy Run) swashbuckling Buck, a plucky, one-eyed weasel brings a welcome note of derring-do to the proceedings. Don’t worry about the characters interacting with dinosaurs that’s sure to make paleontologists bleed out of their ears, it’s a fun for the whole family cartoon and kudos to the studio for not bothering to release in 3D, we all know it doesn’t work.

Whatever Works

Cast: Larry David, Ed Begley Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Conleth Hill, Michael McKean, Evan Rachel Wood,

Woody Allen is back in his beloved New York and has brought Larry David along for the ride. What could be better than this dream team? Woody Allen's latest, is the filmmaker's best feature since Match Point and his most effective pure comedy in a dozen years. A collaboration with Larry David the man who brought us Seinfeld should have come years ago. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star plays a cranky pessimist who becomes the initially unwilling husband to a much younger Southern girl with a father fixation. But when her conservative mother arrives, all hell breaks loose as Mom tries to drive her daughter away from the old guy and toward a much younger model.



Orphan

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett

Just in time for Halloween comes this creepy tale. It's the story of a couple - played by Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard - who lose their baby and decide to adopt a 9 year-old girl, only to get more than they bargained for. Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman, the Goth Dakota Fanning) is a precocious orphan with a sinister Russian accent and a penchant for vintage dresses. Her adoptive parents ignore all the warning signs, like knowing glances from nuns and the mysterious death of Esther’s former adopted parents, and decide that this little loner is the perfect Band-Aid for their family. Esther is an entertaining and solid addition to the Evil Child story. There may be something wrong with Esther, but there’s nothing wrong with “Orphan.” Very highly recommended.



The Tournament

Cast: Ving Rhames, Robert Carlisle, Kelly Hu.

Every 7 years, in a small, clueless town somewhere in the world, 30 of the world’s best assassins are brought together to compete in a kill-or-be-killed tournament, whereby the last one standing wins a cool $10 million. Meanwhile, gamblers bet on the game from the comforts of the tournament holder’s operation center. An excuse for a film that consists of a whole lot of wanton bloodshed? Maybe, enjoyable? You bet; 30 contestants, with the more notable ones being Chinese hitwoman Lai Lai Zhen (Kelly Hu), the crazy Texan Miles Slade (Ian Somerhalder), and the reigning champ Joshua Harlow (Ving Rhames). Of course there are more, but since most of them get shot, blown up, or decapitated early on, they aren’t worth mentioning. The final contestant is Father Macavoy (Robert Carlyle), the alcoholic non violent priest who finds himself pulled unknowingly into the tournament. Only thing missing is Jean-Claude Van Damme, still you can’t have everything.
Thanks to Alliance films I had a screening copy and boy did I enjoy this movie, a perfect way to relax!**#!



The Spotter’s Top 10 Horror Titles Ever!
(not in any particular order, that’s too difficult)

The Exorcist – Definitely the scariest movie ever made, trust me I was there in the cinema when it first came out and witnessed real screaming and an ambulance parked outside!
Halloween – John Carpenter’s classic that introduced us to Michael Myers the original slasher and Jamie Lee Curtis; this was the one that started it all.
Alien – OK not really a horror film, this is Ridley Scott’s sci- fi masterpiece with a really great alien monster, brilliant movie score and superb direction.
The Pit and the Pendulum – Vincent Price in a very campy movie using the same sets and background used in many other Roger Corman productions, but this was the first horror film I ever saw in a cinema. I sneaked in through the back door when I was a boy and I couldn’t sleep for a week thinking of that pendulum swinging downwards and Vincent Price hamming it up as a demented inquisitor; wonderful!
Trick R Treat – A new release that you have to see (go rent it now!) a first class Halloween tale broken up into episodes neatly joined together.
Saw; Saw 2; Saw et al – Very original with complex flashbacks-within-flashbacks explaining how the characters have come to these frightening predicaments and a satisfying mystery to go with its ghastly claustrophobia. Also a great serial killer to boot! All the sequels worked, which in itself is very rare.
Night of the Living Dead – This is George Romero’s masterpiece from 1968. Romero’s black and white “home movie” with its occasional bad lighting and amateurish acting made it seem like a real event was unfolding. Adding to this is the radio broadcast that gradually updates us on the latest news, a not so subtle way of narrating over the script. The last broadcast confirming that dead people are literally coming back and seeking the living; Romero created a surreal Hell on Earth that haunted for days after first seeing this terrific zombie movie.
Psycho – Alfred Hitchcock’s really scary movie about Norman Bates and his “mother”. The shower scene is cinematic history; Bernard Hermann’s score around this 2 minute wonder is now legendary. Psycho not only set off a raging controversy around censorship, but it also ruined the morning shower for a generation of Americans.
The Ring - This remake of the J-horror hit 'Ringu,' about a mysterious video tape that kills anyone who watches it. It's drenched in taut suspense, and boasts a finale that'll have you sprinting away from your TV set featuring a young lady with the worst haircut in movie history! This one is really scary; you have been warned.
Nosferatu – Horror films have been around since the invention of the movies; there has and will always be a market for scaring viewers especially those of the weaker sex, presumably so their dates can hold them close to keep them safe from those evil people on the screen. This 1922 movie despite being an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' novel, director F.W. Murnau's seminal vampire flick is lauded as one of the best silent films ever. And Max Schreck is so chillingly creepy as bloodthirsty antagonist Count Orlok (aka Count Dracula) that the actor himself was believed to be a vampire.

Some notable movies I did not include but still warrant a mention.
“Scream”; Wes Craven’s homage to classic horror films.
“Friday the 13th” Admit it, just the mention of "summer camp" or "Crystal Lake" has you glancing over your shoulder, listening for a noise in the woods and swearing off hockey masks.
“Evil Dead” Sam Raimi’s cult classic, and don’t forget his latest “Drag Me to Hell”
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” The ratty red-and-green sweater, the grotesquely burned visage, the glove made of knives, the ability to turn Johnny Depp into a puree of blood and guts: If ever a man was made to haunt dreams; and murder people in them; it was Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund).
“28 Days Later” The zombie genre goes even darker in Danny Boyle's malevolent take, in which flesh-eating is a viral affliction and the stricken are possessed with rabid ferocity and superhuman speed.
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” No, it's not based on real events as advertised in the opening credits (that tricky Tobe Hooper!), but that doesn't make it less terrifying. This shocking low-budget scare about limb loss in the Lone Star State set the stage for Michael Myers, Freddy and Jason, awful sequels and all.
Well that’s it for this year. I know I missed some of your favorites, why not email me and let me know?

Movie Spot is now carrying Blu Ray, with copies of all the major titles we add to the kiosks. They can be found for now in selected locations and soon available everywhere.

This week sees the release of the biggest movie of the year “Transformers – Revenge of the Fallen” as well as a really good comedy, a return of the horror master and a remake of a classic TV show.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

Cast: Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, Rainn Wilson, Hugo Weaving, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Welker, Isabel Lucas, Reno Wilson

Two years have passed since Sam Witwicky and the Autobots saved the human race from the invading Decepticons. Now he's preparing for the biggest challenge of his life: leaving home for college. Meanwhile, the Decepticons (the bad guys) learn what Sam doesn't know: he alone holds the key to the outcome of the struggle between evil and the ultimate power of good. With the help of the Autobots, the soldiers of NEST, and an old adversary-turned-ally, former Sector 7 Agent Simmons, Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela (the very lovely Megan Fox) must uncover the secret history of the Transformers presence on earth, and an ancient Decepticon named The Fallen; sworn on returning here for revenge.
This is a movie of wild excess and a string of bad-taste jokes. Dogs hump each other, robots hump human legs and the camera spends so much time ogling Megan Fox’s torso you start to wonder if it’s being operated by a 13 year-old boy. There are now 42 robots, including one that looks like a jaguar, one that can turn into ball bearings to access high-security areas and one in the form of a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Director Michael Bay had a wonderful time and a truckload of money making this 150 minute sequel, and I must say that this is the loudest film I have ever heard! There are so many explosions, crashes and stressed machinery noises to turn an old metal-head deaf! The other problem I had was trying to differentiate between the good guys and bad guys (that’s robots) when they were slugging it out with each other. They all look the same when they’re in bits so who knows? Well actually any one under the age of thirteen for starters, which reminds me of the old Groucho Marx joke when asked if he understood a contract and said “this is so simple a child can understand it, someone get me a child I can’t make any sense of it”



The Proposal

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O'Hare, Malin Akerman, Oscar Nuñez, Aasif Mandvi, Niecy Nash

When high-powered book editor Margaret faces deportation to her native Canada, (nice of them to mention us eh?); the quick-thinking exec declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting assistant Andrew, who she's tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family, and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences.
Sandra Bullock has never been more appealing in the kind of “tough boss” role normally associated with male actors. The Proposal turns the usual romantic comedy tables around, painting a hilarious picture of an attractive and bossy business exec caught in a situation spiralling out of control. Ryan Reynolds’ comedic expertise is put to good use in the role of her willingly unwilling assistant who must join her charade or risk losing his job. This is Reynolds’ best outing yet, and he shows he could own the genre if provided the right material. Stealing the movie from both of them, however, is the irrepressible Betty White, who plays Reynolds’ saucy Grammy. Once again, the Golden Girls, Boston Legal, alum proves she has comic timing second to none. Can you believe she’s 87 years old?? Wholly recommended, could be the best comedy yet this year!



Drag Me to Hell

Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Adriana Barraza

Desperate for a promotion, kind-hearted loans manager Christine (Lohman) refuses an elderly customer, Mrs. Ganush (Raver), only to become the subject of a terrifying gypsy curse that will see her dragged to hell by a vengeful demon called the Lamia...

Director Sam Raimi made his name in the horror genre with the Evil Dead trilogy. Since then, his career’s led him away from scares towards web-covered franchises. (That’s Spiderman natch!) Drag Me to Hell is a return to a genre he once ruled in fact, this is easily the purest Raimi movie since Evil Dead II.
This movie is pure horror fun, lurching from wild laughs to beautifully choreographed scares like a locomotive threatening to leave the tracks. As with a ghost train, the objective is simple. Build tension. Scream. Reveal scary thing. Scream. Relieve tension. Laugh. And start all over again...
Although there is no ‘message’ here, the film can be seen as a cautionary tale about the perils of greed, Christine’s one slip, her one concession to ambition, is enough to damn her to a horrific ordeal in which Lohman is humiliated and abused .
And boy, does Christine suffer. If she’s not being slammed into a ceiling by an invisible demonic force, then she’s hose-spraying a nosebleed around her office or vomiting up flies at the dinner table. There are other characters in the movie; Justin Long, (I’m a Mac) as her earnest boyfriend, and Dileep Lao, as a shaman saviour, but this is undoubtedly Lohman’s show, turning in an impressive performance.
Drag Me To Hell is Raimi’s most satisfying movie in ages; a low-down, cheap, nasty return to the vibe of the films on which he was granted most creative freedom. Drag Me To Hell? Try How Sam Got His Groove Back...



Land of the Lost

Cast: Will Ferrell, Danny R. McBride, Anna Friel, Raymond Ochoa, Pollyanna McIntosh, Logan Manus

Space-time vortexes suck. Dr. Rick Marshall is sucked into one and spat back through time. Now, Marshall has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world; this is a place known as the "Land of the Lost." Sucked alongside him for the adventure is his research assistant Holly and a redneck survivalist named Will. Chased by a T. Rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally, a primate called Chaka. Get stuck, and they'll be permanent refugees in the "Land of the Lost."
This is yet another remake of an old Saturday-morning staple from the early ’70s. And, on paper, the show, in which a father and two kids are whisked into a parallel dimension populated by stop-motion dinosaurs, creepy lizard-men and gibberish-spouting primates, has plenty to recommend it. Dinosaurs are always good value, of course, and LOTL boasts a bunch of them, including a super-intelligent T-rex with a grudge named Grumpy. But that was then and now, well; there’s nothing wrong with the cast; Ferrell, as disgraced palaeontologist Dr. Rick Marshall, adds another puffed-up buffoon to his collection; Danny McBride is as reliable as ever in wiseass redneck mode; and Anna Friel adds both sex appeal and Brit grit as a plucky Cambridge grad ostracised for her faith in Marshall’s crackpot theories. Trouble is who does this film cater to? Can’t seem to make up its mind, and that’s the problem. It has great bits, some good gross out laughs, great special effects, but somehow lacks in totality. Could have been much better, still for $1.99. It’s a great rental.



Next time it's Movie Spots' Halloween special! A nice list of some of the best horror movies at the "Spot", including some I bet you never saw!

Till next time! The Spotter.

Baseball seasons over, Hockey starts, another year as the world turns, Blue Jays were rubbish and the Leafs will probably go the same way again. Who knows, maybe the Raptors will make the playoffs. Oh how we live in hope in Toronto!
Still, this all means there is plenty of time to watch some good movies, lots of blockbusters (not the store!) coming out (Oh I don’t know!) the first real Halloween title is reviewed, some comedies and a glorious Adrien Brody movie!

Year One

Cast: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, David Cross, Hank Azaria, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gabriel Sunday

In a Paleolithic kind of-Eden live brash hunter Zed (Black) and sensitive gatherer Oh (Cera). But, after Zed eats forbidden fruit and accidentally burns down their village, he and Oh are exiled, leading them on a journey towards Sodom; via a few biblical incidents.
Director Harold Ramis has tried this before with Bill Murray and John Belushi at the Second City improve lounge; there it worked but here it sort of reminds me of the Toronto Blue Jays, shoulda, coulda, didn’ta. Personally I laughed a lot, but then I like gross humour and I’m a huge Michael Cera fan; but this movie yearns for some Mel Brooks type script or even some Monty Python outtakes. I suppose if you really want to laugh at the Old Testament, watch some of the work by the aforementioned experts.



My Life In Ruins

Cast: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, María Ádanez, Sheila Bernette, María Botto, Rachel Dratch, Alexis Georgoulis, Ralph Nossek, Bernice Stegers, Harland Williams

Georgia has lost her kefi (Greek for "mojo"). Discouraged by her lack of direction in life, she works as a travel guide, leading a rag-tag group of tourists as she tries to show them the beauty of her native Greece while waiting to land her dream job. Opening their eyes to an exotic foreign land, she too begins to see things in new ways finding love in the process.
Once upon a time ago (actually 2002), Tom Hanks, and Nia Vardalos teamed for what proved to be the surprise hit of the year, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. (still the most profitable romantic comedy of all time) The delightfully appealing film had enough to keep it from turning to mush and enough chemistry between the leads to get us rooting for the happy ending. Now Nia Vardalos tries it again as Greek-American Georgia who returns to her roots as a down-on-her-luck Athens tour guide, lurching from one disaster to the next as she shepherds a motley crew of Australians, kleptomaniac octogenarians and brash Yanks from one Athenian antiquity to the next. A nice travelogue of Greece and not a bad little movie mainly thanks to Vardalos’ warm performance, and it’s a pleasure to see Richard Dreyfuss back on the screen as kindly if irritating widower Irv. The DVD has an alternative ending which I haven’t seen yet, someone fill me in on that.



Trick R Treat

Cast: Quinn Lord, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, Moneca Delain, Anna Paquin, Rochelle Aytes, Tahmoh Penikett, Lauren Lee Smith, Britt McKillip

It is said that Halloween is the night when the dead rise to walk among us and other unspeakable things roam free. The rituals of All Hallows Eve were devised to protect us from their evil mischief, and one small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that some traditions are best not forgotten. Nothing is what it seems when a suburban couple learns the dangers of blowing out a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight; four women cross paths with a costumed stalker at a local festival; a group of pranksters goes too far and discovers the horrifying truth buried in a local legend; and a cantankerous old hermit is visited by a strange trick-or-treater with a few bones to pick. Costumes and candy, ghouls and goblins, monsters and mayhem; the tricks and treats of Halloween turn deadly as strange creatures of every variety; human and otherwise; try to survive the scariest night of the year.
Michael Doughterty’s movie has been waiting in the wings for a release for two years, and finally its here. It is A delicious, twisted, gleeful anthology, with each story complimenting and, in some cases, completing the one before it. Connecting them all is the instantly iconic figure of Sam. About the height of a child, wearing tattered pajamas, a sack over his head, and wielding a large bag full of candy, this little guy is the stuff nightmares are made of. At 87 minutes, there is not a dull moment. The tone is morbidly charming, effortlessly switching between laughs and screams. The ensemble cast works marvelously and other than perhaps 1978's Halloween, Trick 'r Treat sets out to be the definitive movie of the holiday, and it succeeds. This is a very good movie, why did we have to wait 2 years for this to come out?



Imagine That

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Yara Shahidi, Nicole Ari Parker, Ronny Cox, Martin Sheen

Eddie Murphy is terrific as Evan Danielson, an overworked financial advisor who is so immersed in his job he’s forgotten about Olivia, his daughter from an estranged marriage. When he is given custody for a week and he gets too busy with work, she retreats into her fantasy world, imagining a group of princesses who, as it turns out, really know their way around big business. When Dad figures out his daughter’s special blanket and otherworldly friends have the magic touch for investment advice, he becomes an instant superstar in his firm. But his newfound success soon sets up a confrontation with his chief rival, Johnny Whitefeather.
Eddie Murphy has carved out a solid alternate career as a star of family-friendly movies. But none of those previous works play to his overall talents as a comedian better than this movie. The purely delightful premise, in which Murphy faces off with skeptical business partners, is perfectly toned to his talents and allows him to be widely appealing for both kids and their parents. As daughter Olivia, newcomer Yara Shahidi won out over 3000 girls and is wonderful, a real charmer who goes toe to toe with Eddie. Thomas Haden Church provides the perfect foil for Murphy as Whitefeather, a guy who plays off a phony Native American heritage and spouts nonsensical advice like he’s E.F. Hutton. Ronny Cox and Martin Sheen play it straight allowing Eddie to shine; this is a great movie, the best thing Eddie Murphy has done for a while and probably missed at the theatre, so if you need a laugh, go rent this one. So sayeth the Spotter!



The Brothers Bloom

Cast: Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz , Rinko Kikuchi, Nora Zehetner, Mark Ruffalo, Robbie Coltrane, Andy Nyman, Maximilian Schell, Noah Segan, Zachary Gordon

My pick of the week!
From their childhood in a long series of gloomy foster homes to their high-flying lives as international con artists, Stephen and Bloom have shared everything. Stephen brilliantly concocts intricate stories that the brothers live out, but he's still searching for the perfect con, the one where "everyone gets what they want." Eager to retire, Bloom agrees to take part in one last grand scam. He insinuates himself into the life of Penelope, a bored, single New Jersey heiress. When a genuine romance begins to blossom between them, she impulsively joins Bloom, Stephen and their "associate," a sexy Japanese explosives expert named Bang Bang on an ocean liner to Greece. Penelope is convinced she's happened upon the adventure of a lifetime and offers to bankroll a million dollar deal. But as Stephen's elaborate web of deceit pulls tighter, Bloom begins to wonder if his brother has devised the most dangerous con of his life.
Adrien Brody plays the role of Bloom with a suitable helping of melancholy and loneliness, and works surprisingly well as a romantic lead. Mark Ruffalo is a likeable rogue a change of pace for a guy who usually plays darker and heavier parts. Rachel Weisz positively sparkles, lending her blend of sexiness to this film; Rinko Kikuchi steals scenes with her nearly-mute portrayal of Bang Bang. This is my pick to rent, spend 2 hours with these loveable rogues, you’ll thank me!



Newly added Movies You have to watch again (or maybe for the first time!)
Friday the 13th

Cast: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Jeannine Taylor, Kevin Bacon, Mark Nelson

As we’re getting ready for Halloween I thought we might want to add to the kiosks the first of the series that introduced us to the hockey mask wearing nut case Jason. On Friday, June 13th 1958, two Camp Crystal Lake counselors, Claudette and Barry, slip away from the campfire for an illicit rendezvous. They are discovered and murdered by an unseen assailant (hello Jason!) Two decades later, the camp is preparing to reopen. "Camp Blood" has a death curse, the murders in '58, a boy drowning in '57, the fires and bad water that thwarted attempts to reopen the camp etc, etc. This highly successful franchise consists of twelve slasher films, a television show, games and comic books. This is the first and probably the best of the lot, it’s campy, scary and funny like the one idiot girl who chases down a faint cry for help through the woods in the middle of the night in the rain in her nightgown, just what every girl should do isn’t it. Admittedly the film lacks John Carpenter’s skill in making Halloween, it isn’t nearly as suspenseful but Jason Voorhees has sold a lot of masks, models and posters just like Michael Myers, so stuff that into your body bags!

Face Off

Cast: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Gina Gershon, Harve Presnell
Directed by John Woo

Woo, who is known and appreciated for his unique stylistic approach to violence and bloodshed, creates a ballet of bullets and explosions that drives the adrenaline level through the roof. This is my favorite all time John Travolta and Nicholas Cage movie; now let’s see if you can get the plot. Sean Archer (John Travolta) is a dedicated federal officer whose obsession with bringing down one particular master criminal, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), has blinded him to all other concerns; you see six years prior, Troy's attempt to kill Archer went wrong, and Archer's young son was killed. Since then, a thirst for revenge has driven the FBI agent to pursue Troy with such vigor that it has alienated both his wife (Joan Allen) and his teenage daughter (Dominique Swain). When the latest confrontation between the two leaves the criminal in a coma, Archer is forced to undergo a face transplant with Troy's features so that he can go undercover in a prison, and interact with Troy's paranoid brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola), because very bad guy Nicholas Cage has a bomb that is ticking away somewhere in downtown L.A. But, while Archer is masquerading as his arch- enemy, the real Troy regains consciousness and hijacks Archer's face. Got it so far? So now Nick Cage is John Travolta and vice versa. So good John is now bad Nick and we are now rooting for Nick and booing John. Sci-Fi predicament? You bet, action galore and really good acting, this is one of the best action movies ever in my opinion so go out and rent this it really is good.



Transformers

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox ,Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Rachael Taylor, , John Turturro, Jon Voight

Our world will be transformed when two races of robots; the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons (which are able to change into a variety of objects, including cars, trucks, planes and other technological creations); make Earth their final battleground. As the forces of evil seek the key to ultimate power, our last chance for survival rests in the hands of young Shia LaBeouf. Michael Bay’s live-action rendition of the cult Japanese toy-line, is a film about big toys attacking a lot of small toys, and some equally as big, and some much bigger (Transformers are equal-opportunity), and a lot of humans (if you’re a Decepticon) and buildings (mostly downtown LA). This film is miles better than the sequel, I found that one to be a little difficult to figure out who’s who (Decepticon or Autobots), not hard for my 10 year old however! Both John Turturro and Jon Voight are wonderfully political and unlike the sequel, LaBeouf’s parents play parents and not silly straight men! This film also introduced us to the latest femme fatale, cover girl Megan Fox, so that alone probably recommends it. This is a perfect 5.1 surround sound DVD, crank it up it’ll blow the doors down!

Black Rain

Cast: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Yusaku Matsuda. Directed by Ridley Scott

Michael Douglas plays again the hard-boiled cop in the form of Nick Cunkley who’s out of favor due to his wife and has a chance to redeem himself by escorting with his partner Charlie Vincent (Andy Garcia) a notorious mob boss predictably called Sato (Yusaku Matsuda) back to Japan, only to lose him when they turn him over to the mobsters disguised as policemen. So Douglas and Garcia have to reluctantly team up with Japanese cop Mashahiro Matsumoto (Ken Takakura) to track him and his Yakuza buddies.
Black Rain explodes with action it’s really a much layered film that offers content between the raindrops of a soaky Osaka.
Michael Douglas plays rough well his diction is edged with a harshness that effectively captures the pragmatic cop Nick Conklin. Andy Garcia is given a wonderful opportunity to shine in the role of Nick’s partner. Ken Takakura lends perfect balance to Douglas and Garcia, and the thick delivery of Tomisaburo Wakayama as Sugai, one of the Oyabuns or family heads of the Japanese Mafia is reminiscent of Brando in The Godfather. Sugai is one dangerous dude.
Ridley Scott made this film after “Blade Runner” and the magnificent scenery and rainy ambience that defined said film is alive and well in Black Rain. The grit versus the glitz of New York City and Osaka is replicated admirably. The score by Hans Zimmer sounds terrific on this Dolby Digital 5:1 DVD. Well recommended for anyone who enjoys a good cop movie.



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See you next week!