Synopsis (from IMDB):  Michael and Sara wed, but the happiness is short lived when the Feds apprehend her for the murder of Michael’s mother, Christina. Once a hit is ordered on Sara, the team reunite to break out an increasing vulnerable Sara.

This movie was the culmination of the fantastic Prison Break series.  The series aired for four seasons, and each and every episode was a nail biter.  This movie, the series finale, explains what happens in the four years that have passed between Michael and the gang gaining their freedom, and the reunion in Panama to gather at Michael’s grave.  I rated this movie three stars out of five.  I would have rated it higher except the fact that it was not as good compared to the rest of the series, especially the first two seasons.  It’s hard to hold a candle to a television show that completely engrosses you, both with believeable storylines and incredible acting.

Synopsis (from IMDB): A mercenary gets involved in a mission that threatens the lives of his kin. In order to succeed, he must break into one of the most wellguarded prisons in Eastern Europe and free the son of the most notorious drug lord in the world today.

Steven Seagal has gotten fat.  Yes, he was 55 years old when the movie was made (2006) and doesn’t look a day over 45, but I think there comes a time when action movie stars either need to find a new genre to act in or a new line of work.  At least he got rid of the silly pony tail.  This movie really has little in the way of plot, other than trying to combine an action flick with one aged star trying to recreate Oceans 11.  For the action, I will give the movie two stars, but beyond that, it was horrible.  The voice acting was spotty in places and the plot was disjoined.

Synopsis (from IMDB): A mature 14-year old girl meets a charming 32-year old photographer on the Internet. Suspecting that he is a pedophile, she goes to his home in an attempt to expose him.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this movie when I first watched it.  I had not heard much, if anything about the movie other than it starred Ellen Page (who I first saw in the first season of ReGenesis).  It is a thriller, with the protagonist (Page) extracting revenge on a man for the disappearance and murder of another young girl.  The movie is riveting, with twists and turns throughout.  You will note the comparisons with Ellen Page’s character to Little Red Riding Hood.  I would give the movie a solid three and a half stars out of five.  It was filmed on a low budget, and some of that is apparent throughout the movie.  The conclusion is somewhat anti-climatic as well.

Synopsis (from IMDB):  In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.

When I first heard that this movie was being made, I sat back and immediately wondered how crappy it would turn out.  While the first Rambo movie was great, the second was saved by all of the (mostly nonsensical) action, and the third movie a complete disaster.  I expected much the same from the latest offering, yet I was pleasantly surprised.

In so saying that, don’t run out and nominate this movie for an Oscar.  However, it is decent, passable fare with a decent storyline.  John Rambo is leading a quiet life when asked to venture into Burma to rescue some aid workers.  He does not want to get involved, but due to an incident with river pirates and being forced further downriver, he has little choice.  This movie has been banned in Burma, where bootlegs are a hot commodity.  The military Junta (in real life) that runs Burma did not want this movie to be seen as it illustrates their real-life brutality.  The Burmese freedom fighters have adopted some of the movie’s dialogue as battle cries.

If you do not like violence, then stay away from this flick.  It averages 2.13 kills per minute, making it one of the most violent movies ever made.  Most of the kills come in the final scene of the movie, and look very realistic.  Due to that reason alone (as there were hardly any swear words), this is not a movie for impressionable children.

First and foremost, a happy belated July 4th to all of my American friends.

I’m not much of a movie watcher.  Ergo, when I do sit down to watch a movie I usually like to pick something that will hold my interest.  Yesterday, I watched JCVD.

I truly was not sure what to expect going in.  John and I just picked up an extra large Meat Amore pizza from Mamma’s Pizza (which are, hands down, bar none, the absolute best pizzas that I have ever had) and we threw that flick on.  The movie is a crime-action flick starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself.  He plays a down and out action star who somehow gets himself caught up in the middle of a bank heist.

As the majority of the film is in french, it has subtitles.  Normally this would bother me, but in this instance it did not because the text was large and the dialogue was short.  Some of the dialogue was ad-libbed, with Van Damme referencing real-life occurences throughout.  In short, this movie is a fantastic piece of work that blurs the lines between the production and real-life.

I have yet to see this movie, but from all accounts it is a pure action-fest.  It has grossed $201 million dollars (USD) in five days.  That is only $2 million behind The Dark Knight, which currently holds the record.  Perhaps this movie could make a run at Titanic, the all-time champion?

Time will tell…

I am a big fan of the Terminator franchise.  In 1991, when Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released, I was 17 and completely blown away by the movie.  I had never heard of the first movie, but I rented it on VHS and watched it and was again thrilled.  T3 was a tad disappointing, although in its own right not too bad.  Terminator: Salvation continues the franchise that began all the way back in 1984.

From IMDB:  Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators.  But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row.  Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past.  As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Many critics have panned the movie, but I personally enjoyed it.  It pays homage to the first three movies in a few ways and there is significant action to keep the viewed interested.  You will definately enjoy the movie more if you have seen the first three movies.  There is no mention of any of the events in the television series, however.  To date it has grossed more than $90,000,000 domestically – so despite what the critics say, it can’t be that bad.

As an aside, I watched the movie at Oakville’s Silver City on Burloak Drive.  They have a VIP theatre there and it is absolutely a great experience.  There is no admittance for anyone under the age of 19, the seats are reclineable and all leather, and they are extra-wide for us fat people.  The armrests are also larger.  The screen size is the same as the other theaters, but only 250 people will fit into the VIP theatre.  All in all a great experience, and its only $5.00 more.

Bolt is a Disney Animated Studios production that I recently have had the pleasure of viewing.  It is about a small dog who believes he has super powers, as he has spent his life on a movie set warding off the forces of evil.  He believes that his owner, Penny, has been kidnapped and sets off on a mission to find her.

This movie is one of the best animation flicks I have seen, period.  Everyone from kids to adults will enjoy this movie.  My roommates two little boys have watched Bolt countless times.  The animation is superb and the voice acting is great.  John Travolta plays Bolt.

Welcome to 2009!

The new year did not start off with a bang, but that’s just the way I like it.  I watched a couple of movies, and enjoyed myself in relative peace and quiet.  A friend of mine dropped by, and chilled out as well.

The first movie, Defiance, stars Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, one of the Bielski partisans.  The Bielski partisans were a group of Jews that lived in the forests of Poland during World War II after the Germans began Operation Barbarossa.  It was a good movie, and it brought to life just a little bit of the suffering that these people had to endure.  It is impossible to know, because we were not there.  Many of us take our freedom for granted.  Imagine – just sixty five years ago, these people had to hide in the forest for four years, endure harsh climate, scavenge and salvage anything and everything they could, all the while being hunted like animals – because they were Jewish.

This is a holocaust movie, and since I’ve never heard of the movie before I went in with no preconceptions.  I will be researching to determine if it is historically accurate, as unfortunately many films are not (it is a difficult concept to turn when you have to make sure the hero is just and try to fit in all the facts within two hours).

The second movie I watched (because my buddy has seen it before and decided to fall asleep) was The Dark Knight (Hence the title of this post).  I’m a little behind.  I have been meaning to see this movie since it debuted in the theater back in July.  But due to a combination of being busy and lazy, I never got to see it.  I bought the Blu-Ray disc, and I never watched that either up until tonight.

Now that I have sat down and watched the entire movie, I can say that Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was absolutely fantastic.  Truly, an Oscar nomination was all his even if his premature death did not occur.  Heath Ledger’s Joker makes Jack Nicholson’s Joker look cartoonish (of course, Jack Nicholson’s Joker made Cesar Romero’s Joker look cartoonish too). 

When thinking of truly noteable villans, The Joker tops my list, followed by Hannibal Lecter.  I could only imagine the two of them in a movie together.  I wonder if Dr. Lecter’s appetite for human flesh would turn The Joker’s stomach, or would The Joker’s anarchistic behavior cause Dr. Lecter to add a little fun to his diet?  Two awesome characters who would be very interesting to see in the same movie.  Could Dr. Lecter get inside The Joker’s head?  I wonder how he would interact with The Scarecrow?  Ah, the things that go through my mind.

I’m trying to think of some other truly awesome villans, but none really come to mind at the moment.  That could be because it’s 5:00 am now…Lex Luthor?  No, while he has the longevity he only cares about real estate.  Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey played the part well, but for Luthor to be a true super villan, he has to get to the next level and become truly maniacal.

Some of the Doctor Who villans may qualify…they have the longevity, and they actually win on occasion.  The Cybermen, the Daleks, the Sontarans…even Davros or The Master.  The Borg from Star Trek could qualify, as they are ruthless and evil…but they just keep getting their ass kicked all the time.  The Borg could have been something special, and the writer from Star Trek ruined it.  Speaking of Star Trek…maybe Q or the Romulans?  Ah, this could go on forever…