"I am an alpha that will soon have his masters in business and I will be unstoppable in today's society. I have a rock solid body and god has blessed me with great looks...."
From Russia with Love is the second Bond film and it stars Sean Connery once again as the indestructible super spy James Bond. This film is a fairly solid and serious effort in the corpus of the James Bond film series. It surely will not disappoint fans of the genre.
All of the traditional motifs are present such as exotic locales as the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey and the traditional staple of stunning women.
Al Pacino is cool as hell when portraying crazed killers in movies. We have to look no further than his Tony Montana role in Scarface (1983). However, I can't buy him as a football coach. Pacino has seem to lost a bit of his trademark edge he once had playing cold-blooded fools like Tony Montana in Scarface; an outspoken and hot-headed defense attorney in And Justice For All (1979), and the role he is lionized for, Michael Corleone, the heir apparent mafiosi, inThe Godfather (1972). Okay, the man is older. He is slowing down. It happens to the best. I just don't buy Al as Tony D'Amato, the head coach of the Miami Sharks.
Pacino seems tired in this role. Maybe that is okay. After all, the Sharks suck. Still, in the obligatory coach speech locker room scene, we have a chance for Pacino to deliver a "Win one for the Gipper" speech. It fell flat.
To focus on football for a moment. The movie is like Stone's JFK version of the NFL. Players are all butt-hammering neanderthals (to paraphrase an actual line James Woods delivered as the team doc). Jaimie Foxx as "Steamin" Willie Beamen (who keeps the "bitches creamin" - at least in his rap video), is the suddenly superstar quarterback of the Sharks, who both hates the exploitative system of Pro football, yet as a result, feels entitled to exploit it for the benefit of his egocentric stardom. Foxx was quite effective portraying a pro athlete; that certain arrogance, which many athletes do have.
The tackles, passes, catches, and on field theatrics, is okay. I wasn't wowed. The camera was very jittery. Some of the long passes were filmed nicely. I also wish they could have used the banner of criticism to really say this is the NFL. I guess the NFL would have sued the hell out of Oliver Stone. But, if you are making a critical film, isn't that right protected?
This movie was afraid to call a spade a spade. I mean, hell, in Jerry Maguire (1996), the real NFL was actually portrayed. However, it was more or less portrayed in a very favorable light. So, does the NFL control if they can be portrayed in a film? Wouldn't this be like Stone making a movie about a made up President who whose nameis "John F. Keely" and was shot in Dallas? You see what I am getting at friend?
Cameron Diaz as the team owner sucked. She is better used in funny roles. I just don't like her as a bitch. James Woods as the team doctor was over the top. He basically acted exactly just like the sleazeball character he played in Casino (1995). He does those parts well. But, I don't know, the team doctor was out of control in this film. I'm still not sure why the doc would go totally out of his way to switch players' injury results?
Any Given Sunday is a conspiracy theorists version of Pro football. In Oliver Stone's world, all football players are assholes. The white players are heavy metal, steroid abusing, head-banging bikers. The black guys are hood thugs, pimpin' with money. The owners only care about the bottom line. Everybody is a whore. Even the fans are too. Is that the way the NFL really is? Don't I mention Al Pacino looked tired?
All in all, Any Given Sunday is not a bad film. If you like football and you find yourself wondering what the hell to watch on the tube one night, and you happen across this flick, you could do much worse for a sports flick. The problem is that on "Any Given Sunday" there is probably something better to watch.
Having watched Legion (2010), an apocalyptic supernatural thriller film, I am reminded of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). Yes. I know that is bizarre. Hear me out.
In that flick, there is a memorable scene where John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell engage in their now famous "Baby Jesus" argument. John C. Reilly (can't remember his character's name), said something like, "I like my Jesus to be in a rock band, with a band of angels behind him, and I am in the front row drunk off my ass..." Okay, I may have botched that quote (feel free to add the correct quote in our forums).
Legion is in some ways just like John C. Reilly's rock band vision of heaven in Talledega Nights. Only, in Legion the angels kick ass, shoot machine guns, fight hordes of zombie-like humans--they are assassins with wings!
Directed by Scott Stewart, written by Peter Schink and re-done by Stewart Legion is a competently made flick. Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Kate Walsh and Dennis Quaid round out the cast. Yeah, that is right: Dennis Quaid. He plays a fry cook. I got no problem with the cast.
To be fair, there are some campy gems. Probably my favorite scene was at the clichéd roadside diner, where a clichéd nice old lady told a clichéd pregnant waitress that because she is not married, "...her fucking baby was going to burn in hell." They quickly find out she is a zombie-like creature and have to mangle her in the diner. Thus, begins a fucked-up end-of-days scenario, where angels come to wipe out humanity, becuase God fell asleep at the wheel of fate or something.
Exactly why we are all turned to zobmie-like creatures was not clear, but I could give two flying angel-winged shits about that. Legion is more or less masturbatory fantasy with no real cohesivness. It's aim is to simply paint a two hour movie picture of somethign you would likely find in a comic book nerd's notebook; you know, the spaz who could draw well, and always sat in the back of the room in school - this is that type of dude's movie. Not that I am complaining. After all, there aer dorky nerds and cool nerds. In fact, I might just be one of the later.
But, if we are going to talk about a damn plot, well, I'll have you know that the last bastion of defense is the diner. Luckily, they are aided by Michael, God's second in commmand, who feels that the Big Cheese really doesn't want to wipe out humanity. He then decides to fight for them.
So is it a good film? Well, if you like your jesus to be in a rock band and you are in the front row drunk off your ass, then yes, you will enjoy Legion.
So is it good? I guess it is entertaining. I wouldn't say it is good.
A lot of critics didn't like this film: ah, fuck em'. Clash of the Titans, the new one, not the one from the 1980s, is a fun, energy-filled, imaginative CGI-ride through Greek Mythology, though the same could be said of the original when it came out in 1981. Today's version follows the same general plot of the first Clash of The Titans (1981), which starred Harry Hamlin. This one however features that dude from Avatar, Sam Worthington, who now seems comfortable flying winged fantasy creatures.
Worthington is Perseus, son of Zeus. Zeus is angry at the people on Earth and has chosen to buddy up with his old bro Hades. They plan to punish the humans so that they will see the need for the Gods. This plan doesn't go over so well with the Zeus' son Perseus who is a "demigod" - half god, half human. In fact, he is sort of tired of the Dad's mythological shenanigans.
Hades convinces Zeus it is time to "Release the Kraken" a phrase that has now been somewhat adopted into pop culture. The Kraken is a massive, ugly SOB that will destroy a city by the sea unless the denizens sacrifice some hot broad to assuage the gods.
On a winged horse, Perseus shows up ready to kick some god ass. He has a good head on his shoulders, well, two heads on his shoulders as he carries the head of Medusa in a bag (Hmm, Medusa-In-A-Bag: sounds like a Dollar Store for the Greek Gods?). The idea is turn the Kraken to stone and throw one big mythological FU up to Zeus and his boys (and gals) parading around up in Mt. Olympus living high on the nectar.
Hey, I liked much of the visual imagery in this film. It was very creative. The effects are done well. In particular, I like the snake like slithering qualities they gave Medusa. My daughter, who watched this flick with me (she is 7), liked how Medusa got mad when the dead dude couldn't be turned to ston; She repeatedly snapped her head saying "talk to the snakes."
I alluded to this next point. The action in this movie is suitable for kids. In fact, it is almost a kids type of movie like that Percy Jackson film. But, in that regards, it is a good movie. I grew up loving the Titans from 1981. This is a good update and is faithful to the original.
Lastly, I have to give a shout out to Pete Postlethwaite , who had a minor role as Perseus' step dad I guess. This great actor passed away in Jan. 2011. I am inclined to agree with Steven Spielberg who said Pete was "...the Best Actor in the world." I am not sure if anyone could live up to that billing, but look how thorough he threw himself into every role he has played. He is forever Mr. Kobayashi to me, the emissary for Kaiser Soze.
The funny thing is that Titans features another relatively cool actor who has enjoyed a lot of silver screen in recent years: Liam Neeson, most excellent in Taken. He makes a pretty good flowing robe and bearded Zeus.
Yes this film is somewhat childish and I could give a flying shit what it looks like in 3D, but in the realm of the imagination, the Greek gods still captivate the imagination all the way from Mt. Olympus to the river Styx. This film captures that well. If you still think this film is stupid, compare it to Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief(2010), that is its main competition, not your know-it-all, high horse, cinematic snob films. Interestingly, this is one movie that DOES preach from a high horse, only it has wings and it's name is "Pegasus." Now go stuff that up your Kraken.
Due Date (2010) is a reincarnation of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) a legendarty road trip flick, where two unlikely dudes start out hating each other, but realize the meaning of humanity by the end of it. In this updated version we get Robert Downey, Jr. as the straight man (previously played by Steve Martin) and Zacharius Knight "Zach" Galifianakis as the fat guy (previously played by John Candy).
I got no problem with this flick lifting the Planes plot. More or less, such a stupid odd couple plot is merely a hook for good comedic performances. Therein, we have not seen the last road trip movie that is for sure. Due Date is more raunchier than Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. That isn't necessarily a good or bad thing. I think the main gripe I have with Due Date is that it takes itself too seriously at points, while suddenly throwing us into beyond-stupid scenarios.
Case in point. The characters accidentally make a wrong turn and head to Mexico. That whole part should have been tossed.
The Mexico scene was too much cornball slapstick, which seemed out of keeping with this mostly reality-based, asinine plot, which toyed with sentimentality. Still, Due Date is a decent flick and there are plenty of good laughs to be sure.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a more heartfelt and good natured comedy - not that I personally give a shit one way or another. Due Date will be appealing to your Jack Ass the movie film goer. Only, it is overlayed a road trip plot hook.
Due Date does have a few serious transgressions, which prevent it from attaining a King or Ace ranking. You really have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit to buy into the characters in this flick. First, it is hard to picture Downey, Jr.'s character would ever get in a car with such an obnoxious asshole as that portrayed by Galifianakis. Second, the flick meanders in and out of Jack Ass land, going from a film that wants you to laugh at the non-stop scatalogical humor on one hand and then wanting you to like these two assholes on the other. Look past issues and you are in for a decent ride of a comedy.
Official Due Date Trailer
Coolest Things About Due Date
The Coffee Can
Jaimie Foxx cameo
The Drug Dea
Punching The Kid
Drinking Dad
Not So Cool
Ethan was too much of a fucking D-bag.
Jerking off in the car was flat out gross.
Can't really see these two guys paired up for any reason.
From Russia with Love is the second Bond film and it stars Sean Connery once again as the indestructible super spy James Bond. This film is a fairly solid and serious effort in the corpus of the James Bond film series. It surely will not disappoint fans of the genre. 
Al Pacino is cool as hell when portraying crazed killers in movies. We have to look no further than his Tony Montana role in Scarface (1983). However, I can't buy him as a football coach. Pacino has seem to lost a bit of his trademark edge he once had playing cold-blooded fools like Tony Montana in Scarface; an outspoken and hot-headed defense attorney in And Justice For All (1979), and the role he is lionized for, Michael Corleone, the heir apparent mafiosi, inThe Godfather (1972). Okay, the man is older. He is slowing down. It happens to the best. I just don't buy Al as Tony D'Amato, the head coach of the Miami Sharks.
Having watched Legion (2010), an apocalyptic supernatural thriller film, I am reminded of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). Yes. I know that is bizarre. Hear me out.