Keeping It Reel

Fast Cars and Fast Women

Okay, there really weren't fast women in this one  It got your attention though, right?  Now that I think about it, there may have been some fast women in it as extras, but none essential to the plot.

Anyway, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is the latest installment in the "Fast and the Furious" series.  I'd like to say that it was a trilogy and they're ending it with this one; however, I find that very improbable.  I'm guessing if anything else, there will at least be a fourth one that goes straight to dvd.  If there can be a "Roadhouse 2", there can certainly be a "Fast and Furious 4".

This is another one of those films where you can't be expecting much for a plot.  It's purpose is to impress you with impressive driving and flashy vehicles.  It does an excellent job at doing that because the acting throughout it was absolutely horrendous.

As bad as some of the players were in this one, overall, it was a vast improvement over the second movie.  At least in "Tokyo Drift", even when the driving stunts were over the top, they weren't so ludicrous that you find yourself laughing out loud.  I didn't anyway. 

I definitely wouldn't go as far as to call this one the best movie in the "Fast and Furious" catalog as some of my younger cousins have indicaated.  It was a nice touch tying it to the original by having Vin make a cameo appearance in the end.  Still not enough to make it better than the first one, but they get bonus points for the effort.

My rating:  C+

Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Khan said it was an old Klingon proverb.  To this day, I'm still not sure if that was a phrase made up for just "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (still the best of all the Trek movies) or if they bit the idea from an actual saying.  Regardless, it's one of the best movie lines in cinema history and it fits just about every revenge-formula movie ever made.

"Lucky Number Slevin" has Josh Hartnett playing Slevin who gets caught up in case of mistaken identity which causes him to get "tricked" into doing a couple of hits for mob bosses.  I'm still trying to figure out how out of all of the actors from his generation, Hartnett was able to parlay a subpar performance from a subpar movie of "The Faculty" into the blossoming career's he's having.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, you're probably thinking, how do you get "tricked" into something like that, you ask?  Exactly.  That's why  anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out from the get-go that Slevin's not who he says he is.  Fortunately for this movie, that's not where they put all their chips as far as the surprises go.

I'm still not sure Hartnett was the right person cast in this role.  He seems to play all of his characters the same.  Then again, Bruce Willis has been lately too and he was pretty good in this one.  And Morgan Freeman and Sir Ben Kingsley are just about much money in anything they're given.

I was actually able to stay with this one up thru the finale.  I was right on every aspect of the guessing game they tried to throw at me, even from the very beginning of the movie.  However, I very much enjoyed the way they brought it all together at the end and filled in the holes of how it got to the climax it leads you to.

My Rating:  B

Water, Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink

If there's one thing you can always count on with disaster flicks, it's some awesome special effects.  This wasn't always the case back in the 70s when those type of movies first took flight.  Therefore, it only stands to reason that someone eventually decided to greenlight a remake of "The Poseidon Adventure", knowing that today's technology would make it a much better experience.

"Poseidon" is actually not so much of a remake as it is a re-imagining.  They used the same premise and concept of the original and ran with it.  All new characters put in the same scenario of a "rogue" wave capsizing a Titanic-sized cruise liner.

When you watch these kind of movies, you really can't take them too serious.  You have to remember there are two things that will inevitably take place which directly contradict one another:  everything that can go wrong will and a series of convenient circumstances will always save someone's life just in the nick of time.  "Poseidon" is no different.  It comes down to the fun in watching how they manage to escape the situations they encounters along the way.

You could nitpick the flaws of this one all day.  How in the world could they possibly think the huge ballroom would be safe as an "air bubble" or how can a dead man still push a button, just to mention a couple.  However, disaster flicks are immune to such criticism as all you're supposed to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

My rating:  B

A Pretty Boring Life

Some of you more devoted readers may remember me classifying movies into three distinct categories:  those that are must-sees in the theaters, those that can wait until dvd and those that can wait until cable.  This recent one definitely falls into the latter category and I'm glad I made that choice.

"An Unfinished Life" features screen vets Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman whose pretty much uninteresting lives get interrupted when eye candy J-Lo arrives with her daughter.  The story is set in boring Wyoming and the plot has about as much excitement as...well, as the actual state of Wyoming.

I can admire Redford for being consistent with his selection of movies.  In his later years, he has favored taking roles that deal with looking at the lives of ordinary people and how they interact with everyday problems.  However, does that really make a good movie?  Maybe it's just me, but I would think that would make a much better book than a film.

This is another one of those films that ends and you're thinking that there has to be more.  Then the more you think about it, you're glad that there really isn't and that that was it.

It wasn't a total waste thanks to both Freeman and Redford.  Even with bad material, just watching them do their magic in any part they get is entertaining.  Still, it wasn't enough to make me wish I would have found something else on tv at the time.

My rating:  C-

Little Miss Irony

Even before my buddy Mike wrote about how "Little Miss Sunshine" was the best movie of the year,  I already knew I wanted to see it.  I hadn't heard much about it besides the fact it had been doing relatively well in limited release.  However, I knew it had Steve Carell in it and that was enough for me.

"Sunshine" is the story of a dysfunctional family that tries their best to bring it all together for the sake of the youngest girl so they can travel to Cali for her to compete in a beauty contest.  Along the way, they each hit their own stumbling blocks which challenges them even more to support little Olive.

From the very beginning of the movie, anyone with any type of decent eyesight had to be thinking the girl didn't stand a chance in ANY beauty contest.  We've all seen the JonBenet photos so we know how fanatical parents can be about those pageants.  Olive had no hope whatsoever in the looks department.  But if it came down to personality, she would have any contestant beat by a mile.

Carell does an outstanding job as usual and he's not the only one.  Always underrated Greg Kinnear gives you an obsessed Dad that diverts his passion at just the right time.  Paul Dano of  "The Girl Next Door" fame is money as a dark youth.  Then there's Abigail Breslin as the focus of the whole movie playing Olive who is absolutely priceless.

Mike called this the funniest movie he's seen all year.  I wouldn't go near that far.  That title is easily still held by "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby".  I will say that it hands down has THE funniest dance scene ever seen on the big screen year to date.  Therefore, it was one of the better movies of 2006.

My rating:  A-

Spellbound

Sometimes, a movie comes along where in and of itself, it would appear there is nothing really special about it.  It would seem the plot would just be average, if not trite, and nothing about it really stands out.  Then you watch it and your viewpoint has changed altogether.  That's how I was with "Akeelah and the Bee".

Mom and Dad had told me about this movie on their last visit and how much they liked it.  I had it in my collection before hearing that and once again, had put off watching it. 

Even if you haven't seen this particular movie, you have seen this story a thousand times.  The thing that's different is they use spelling instead of a common sports theme to highlight competition.  All of the familiar roles are there...the underdog trying to overcome odds to win, the mentor with his own troubled past that helps, the nemesis who later becomes a friend...yada, yada, yada...

But this one was moving to me because of the way Akeelah's involvement in the Bee serves as a catalyst for helping her family problems, the community problems and even her school's problems.  It wasn't even her intention to be everyone's savior yet inadvertently, she steps into the role and becomes the voice of thousands of people.

Laurence Fishburne is right on point as the mentor.  He should be after movie  after movie of playing that same role.  Angela Bassett is almost a bit overbearing as the mother.  And I wish her trainer would scale back a bit and stop having her look like a female weightlifter.  But it's Keke Palmer as Akeelah that really makes this joint shine.  Who would have known she had it in her from that small role in "Madea's Family Reunion"?

This movie came out around the same time I first spoke of the national spelling bee.  Even then it was under-appreciated in theaters.  I'll give it it's due props now though.  Easily one of the best movies I've seen this year

My rating:  A

The Dirty Secrets of the Secret Service

If there is one thing Michael Douglas can do it's make a good thriller.  He was the king of them back in the day with the classics of "Basic Instinct", "Fatal Attraction" and "Disclosure".  Who knew "Disclosure" would be a foreshadowing of his penchant for younger women? Not that it has anything to do with this movie. 

Anyway, "The Sentinel" gives us Michael Douglas as a diehard Secret Service Agent.  He's a legend in the service because he took a bullet for Reagan during his assassination attempt.  Funny...I don't remember seeing any agent at the scene who looked remotely like him.  But I guess if Clint Eastwood could play an agent who was on Kennedy's detail, why couldn't Douglas do this one?

The premise of the movie was just a bit too much for me to buy.  I can easily see the President having an affair and the Secret Service covering it up.  We all know it's happened.  However, how is the first lady going to have an affair with a Secret Service Agent and nobody know about it?  That's just too improbable.  Not to mention that what are the chances we would ever have a first lady the same caliber as Kim Bassinger? 

I know he's already established himself with his "24" role, but I still can't get over watching how far Keifer Sutherland has come as an actor.  Hard to believe this is the same cat that came from "Lost Boys".  Of course he also came from Donald Sutherland so I guess it should be expected.

As for Eva Longoria in her first movie role, not too shabby.  I was most impressed with the fact she didn't do the obvious and take a role that would showcase her sexuality that she's known for.  They also didn't give her that large of a part in this one so she wasn't given much a chance to screw it up even if she wanted to.

It's usually pretty hard to go wrong with a Douglas drama.  He's proved that again with this one.  Although the premise didn't seem very likely and there were a few plot holes, it was still fun to watch.

My rating:  B+

Ginger Escapes Gilligan's Island

Even if you never saw "Basic Instinct", you had undoubtedly heard what it was infamous for.  The movie was unfairly known just for a single camera shot when it also featured a pretty good performance from the reigning male victim of that era, Michael Douglas.  So why wait so long for a sequel?

To this day, I don't know of any other actress not in the porn industry that has gotten more mileage on the coat tails of their hoo-ha than Sharon Stone.  I think the reason she waited so long to make "Basic Instinct 2" was because she wanted to make sure she could milk as much as she could from other roles first.  Then it came down to the sole reason for making it was just to show that she could still in get shape for a sexy role at her age.

I don't remember if this was the case in the original, but Stone was so over-the-top in this one that it was beyond laughable.  Remember how whenever Ginger on "Gilligan's Island" wanted something, she'd put on that sexy, fake voice and act phonily beguiling?  That's how Stone played EVERY SINGLE scene in this movie.

Unlike it's predecessor, there were no good supporting actors to help this one out.  Stone pretty much had to carry it on her own.  I'm sure if she applied herself, she could have pulled it off.  However, it will take more than showing some flesh every other few minutes to make it happen.

They tried to pull off a "Fight Club" like twist at the end that was transparent from the beginning.  If not from the beginning then at least after the very first murder.  Stone gets props for showing she physically still has it at her age.  Unforutnately, after all these years, the acting still needs help.

My rating:  C-

Friends with Issues

Jennifer Aniston has so far established a track record of some hit and miss movie choices.  I'm not sure if it's her as much as she doesn't have good material to work with.  I will still see "The Break-Up" despite the bad reviews it's gotten; however, that's more for the fact of Vince Vaughn's proven record with comedies.

The previews for "Friends with Money" made it look fairly promising.  She's the one friend in her circle who isn't doing that well financially yet she still has something in common with these people?   

This was one of those flicks where random things happen to try to tie a plot and the characters together.  Almost in the vein of "Grand Canyon" though not quite as purposeful.  When it ends, you're left sitting there thinking 'that was it?'  Only not for the fact that it was overrated, just for the fact that you were expecting more of a remnant of a plot.

What I got out of it was regardless of how much money her friends seemed to have, they still couldn't seem to solve their problems that weren't related to money.  Now if Jen's character would have been the only one who seemed happy despite the fact she was almost destitute, it would have made more sense.  Instead, she had issues of her own AND no money.  So what was the point of the movie?  Still trying to figure that one out...

My rating:  C

God Don't Make No Mistakes

When "Walk the Line" first came out, I asked a friend of mine who had seen it if you had to be a Johnny Cash fan to like it.  He didn't think so and said it was just an overall good movie.  It made sense to me.  I wasn't a Loretta Lynn fan yet I liked "Coal Miner's Daughter".  So when "Idlewild" came out I wondered if the same would be true for it.  Would you have to be an Outkast fan to enjoy it? 

Personally, I think Outkast's entire career was leading up to this very moment.  They came from obscurity gathering a bigger and bigger fanbase with the release of each next cd.  The cds themselves started to get more theatrical.  Then they began playing bit parts in movies.  This was the natural evolution.

This flick is billed as a hip-hop musical.  I can almost see that.  At the very least, I can appreciate them propping it as such to attract a more diverse audience.  However, to me, it played more like a two-hour Outkast music video.  And I don't say that like it's a bad thing.  The way it was shot, the storyline, the songs...it just had the feel like you were watching one of their extended videos.

It was chock full of headline actors in typecast roles.  Terence Howard as a villain, Ving Rhames as an intimidator, Faizon Love as a smart-azz.  And all of it worked.  Why not play up to an actor's strengths?  Even Andre and Big Boi themselves did an extremely good job in their starring parts.

So do you have to be an Outkast fan to appreciate it?  It's hard for me  to say because I've liked their work from day one.  I enjoyed seeing them pull something like this off with such brilliance that it looks like they've been making movies for quite a while.  If you're a fan of well-made movies, I'm thinking this one won't disappoint.  Speaking for myself, I can't wait until the dvd hits stores so I can add it to the collection.

My rating:  A-