Face the UNKNOWN with Liam Neeson and January Jones in this new trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures.

Synopsis:

Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired, and on the run.

Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth.

Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (SCHINDLER’S LIST), Diane Kruger (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) and January Jones (TV’s “Mad Men”) star in the contemporary thriller UNKNOWN. The film also stars Aidan Quinn (TV’s “The Book of Daniel”), Bruno Ganz (THE READER) and Oscar® nominee Frank Langella (FROST/NIXON).

The film was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (ORPHAN), from a screenplay by Oliver Butcher & Steve Cornwell, based on the novel Out of My Head by Didier van Cauwelaert. UNKNOWN is produced by Joel Silver, Leonard Goldberg and Andrew Rona. Susan Downey, Steve Richards, Sarah Meyer and Peter McAleese served as executive producers, with Richard Mirisch, Adam Kuhn, Charlie Woebcken, Christoph Fisser and Henning Molfenter co-producing.

Collet-Serra’s behind-the-scenes collaborators included director of photography Flavio Labiano, production designer Richard Bridgland, editor TimAlverson, and two-time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Ruth Myers (EMMA, THE ADDAMS FAMILY). UNKNOWN was shot entirely in Germany, using Studio Babelsberg, the oldest large-scale studio complex in the world. Studio Babelsberg is also a co-producer on the film, under an agreement with Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment. Locations also included Berlin and Leipzig.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Dark Castle Entertainment, a Panda Production. UNKNOWN will open nationwide on February 18, 2011. Visit the film’s official site here and follow it on Facebook here.

From Yahoo! Movies comes this behind-the-scenes look of 20th Century Fox’s UNSTOPPABLE. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine talk about their characters in the movie.

Here’s another look at the film’s trailer:

Synopsis:

Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and STAR TREK’S Chris Pine team with action maestro Tony Scott (CRIMSON TIDE, DEJA VU, THE TAKING OF THE PELHAM 1 2 3) in this non-stop thriller. A massive unmanned locomotive, nicknamed “The Beast” and loaded with toxic cargo, roars through the countryside, vaporizing anything put in front of it. A veteran engineer (Washington) and a young conductor (Pine), aboard another train in the runaway’s path, devise an incredible plan to try and stop it – and prevent certain disaster in a heavily populated area.

From director Tony Scott, UNSTOPPABLE opens in theaters on Friday, November 12, 2010. Visit the film’s official site here, on Facebook here and on Twitter here.

The movie is rated ‘PG-13′ for sequences of action and peril and some language.

MTV Movies Blog has this exclusive first trailer for WRECKED. The above picture is courtesy of /film. Brody better be careful before AMPAS shows up to take that Oscar back.

Synopsis:

A Man (Adrien Brody) awakens in a mangled car-wreck at the bottom of a steep cliff. He’s injured, his legs are trapped, and he has no memory of who he is or how he got there. His only company – a crackling radio broadcast of a violent bank robbery gone wrong and a corpse in the back seat with a wallet identifying him as one of the perpetrators. As the man ventures beyond the wreckage, he must rely on his primal instincts, using anything he can find in the surrounding wilderness to increase his chances of survival. Confronted with overwhelming obstacles, both real and imagined, the Man must discover his identity and face the consequences of what that might be.

WRECKED is due in theaters some time in 2011.

Courtesy: MTV Movies Blog

Have a look at the trailer for the seventh and final installment of Lionsgate’s successsful SAW franchise, SAW 3D. Get ready for Jigsaw as he prepares his deadliest and biggest trap to date.

Synopsis:

This October, one of the biggest, most successful horror franchises in movie history arrives in theaters in vivid, chilling 3-D with the release of Lionsgate’s SAW 3D.

As a deadly battle rages over Jigsaw’s brutal legacy, a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror…

The first theatrical feature to be shot exclusively on the cutting-edge SI-3D digital camera system, SAW 3D brings the horrifying games of Jigsaw to life like never before. The film stars Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell and Sean Patrick Flannery. SAW 3D is directed by Kevin Greutert, produced by Oren Koules, Mark Burg and Gregg Hoffman. SAW 3D is a Lionsgate Release. Twisted Pictures Presents a Burg/Koules/Hoffman Production.

On October 29th, the traps come alive when SAW 3D in Real D 3D hits theaters. Visit the film’s official site here and on Facebook.

Sony Pictures has announced that the Johnny Depp-Angelina Jolie romantic thriller THE TOURIST is now set to open December 10th, according to Box Office Mojo. Oscars anyone?

A remake of French thriller ANTHONY ZIMMER, THE TOURIST features Depp as an American vacationing in Venice, Italy, who, while attempting to romance Jolie’s character, becomes embroiled in a web of international intrigue and suspense. This year has already been a good one for Depp and Jolie, as they have each had hits in ALICE IN WONDERLAND ($334.2 million) and SALT ($104.2 million and counting), respectively. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2007 for Cold War drama THE LIVES OF OTHERS, THE TOURIST will debut opposite THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER and David O. Russell’s THE FIGHTER.

THE TOURIST, written by Julian Fellowes, Christopher McQuarrie, and Jeffrey Nachmanoff, also stars Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, and Timothy Dalton. GK Films, which financed the film, and Sony Pictures will distribute it.

Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, Scream series) brings audiences his latest suspense thriller with MY SOUL TO TAKE. Take your hands away from your eyes and have a look at the new trailer.

Synopsis:

In the sleepy town of Riverton, legend tells of a serial killer who swore he would return to murder the seven children born the night he died. Now, 16 years later, people are disappearing again. Has the psychopath been reincarnated as one of the seven teens, or did he survive the night he was left for dead? Only one of the kids knows the answer.

Adam “Bug” Heller (Max Thieriot) was supposed to die on the bloody night his father went insane. Unaware of his dad’s terrifying crimes, he has been plagued by nightmares since he was a baby. But if Bug hopes to save his friends from the monster that’s returned, he must face an evil that won’t rest…until it finishes the job it began the day he was born.

Rated R for strong bloody violence and pervasive language and including sexual references, MY SOUL TO TAKE will be in theaters on October 8, 2010. Follow Wes Craven on Twitter here and like the film on Facebook.

Source: YAHOO! Movies

I love films that use one location. So much extra suspense is added due to the fact that we, like the characters, can’t escape. 12 ANGRY MEN, SAW and many others employee this technique to great affect and it looks like Stuart Hazeldine’s EXAM is going to join the ranks. Check out his synopsis via IMDB below:

Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one simple question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified: don’t talk to him or the armed guard by the door, don’t spoil their papers and don’t leave the room. He starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find they’re completely blank. After the initial confusion has subsided, one frustrated candidate writes ‘I believe you should hire me because…,’ and is promptly ejected for spoiling. The remaining candidates soon figure out they’re permitted to talk to each other, and they agree to cooperate in order to figure out the question: then they can compete to answer it. At first they suspect the question may be hidden in their papers like a security marker in a credit card, and they figure out ways to change their environment to expose the hidden words. But light, liquids and other plans all come to naught. Soon enough, the candidates begin to uncover each other’s background, prejudices and hidden agendas. Tensions rise as the clock steadily descends towards zero, and each candidate must decide how far they are willing to go to secure the ultimate job . . .

Sounds like an outstanding concept to me. The film premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in August with decent reviews (one here from THR) Empire has premiered the trailer online, which you can find embedded below.

Thoughts? I am definitely intrigued, but I think they may have given away too much in the trailer…

When a film has a title like A PERFECT GETAWAY, one should be able to have that very expectation going in. Unfortunately, the only perfect element of this cinematic getaway is the scenery, as the movie was shot almost entirely in Hawaii. The landscapes in the film are often simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the only other breathtaking that occurs in this movie are the sighs of disbelief over the terrible writing. Well, that and some laughter.

A PERFECT GETAWAY was written and directed by David Twohy. What’s amazing is how Twohy, who wrote THE FUGITIVE (1993) and wrote/directed PITCH BLACK (2000), could have fallen to writing such a generally unimpressive movie as A PERFECT GETAWAY. As far as the action/suspense serial killer genre goes, movie fails. The plot devices used to generate the mystery, intended to keep the viewer guessing are misleading, culminating in a twist at the end that feels like some guy took a cheap shot in a fair fight.

The story is primarily focused on three couples, all of whom are “vacationing” on a remote part of one of the Hawaiian island. Cliff and Sydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. They’re typical city folk. He’s an aspiring screenwriter and she’s happy being a newlywed housewife dreaming of a big family. Shortly after they arrive in Hawaii, they encounter Kale and Cleo (Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton), a rough and wild looking married couple with dreadlocks and tattoos. Cliff and Sydney find themselves intimidated by Kale and Cleo from the very start as they try and hitch a ride. Once Cliff and Sydney are fully committed to the beautiful but dangerous trail leading them to a remote beach they encounter Nick and Gina (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez), an adventurous and uninhibited, unmarried couple out to simply enjoy themselves in paradise.

To be perfectly honest, the mystery didn’t hold up. The “twist” was revealed to easily in an earlier scene than Twohy likely intended. I won’t be that guy that spoils the ending, but I will say that the film has more than one red snapper, uh… I mean, red herring. [That's an inside joke. You'll get it if and when you see the film.] One thing A PERFECT GETAWAY certainly is not short of is plot holes and an excessive use of these red herring moments. After exiting the theater, if you’re not trying to keep track of all the plot holes and story elements that don’t really work, then you were probably making out with your partner or fell asleep.

Twohy abuses the writing tool known as the red herring, intended to throw the viewer/reader off the correct trail and onto a fake trail, abuses it to the point of being shameful. As Hitchcock did so masterfully in his films, the red herring is a plot device that, if done correctly, is needed only one in a story and maintains its strength through, or at least until it’s no longer needed. In Twohy’s script, the suspicions hop around like little red herring bunny rabbits, bouncing from one to another, then another and then back to the original and so on. Once the real killer(s) is revealed, it no longer holds any dramatic weight.

I have a general dislike of movies that try to be a serious addition to a specific genre of film, but at the same time plug in repeated tongue-in-cheek moments where it clearly and obviously makes fun of itself. Is this a serious killer suspense film, or is it a parody of one? A PERFECT GETAWAY attempts to be both, but fails. This isn’t to say there aren’t some funny moments. Myself and much of the audience were laughing frequently, but the laughter was a mixture of humorous moments, usually provided by Timothy Olyphant, and moments that were just simply too stupid not to laugh at.

Timothy Olyphant (HITMAN, DEADWOOD) is actually a lot of fun in A PERFECT GETAWAY. He’s funny and crazy (in a good way) and gets most of the laughs. He’s also the only really interesting character written into the story. Nick, aka “Micko”, is a hard man to kill, as Gina repeatedly points out to Cliff and Sydney. Steve Zahn actually isn’t bad, giving a decent performance, but the part isn’t that well-written and that means even a great actor will have trouble conveying a truly believable character. Kiele and Milla are average in their performances and certainly not hard to look at at least.

A PERFECT GETAWAY is filled with typical jump-in-your-seat scares and fairly stock styles of suspenseful techniques. Nothing truly stands out in this movie. Most of the running time is filled with cliched moments or ridiculously written scenes intended to explain some part of the plot. One of the worst parts of the movie is right after the intended reveal point in the story as to who the killer(s) really is, when Twohy chooses to lapse into a Cliff’s Notes style retelling of all the major plot points, as if we needed a reminder. This entire recapping is shot in black and white, edited together in block frame style, sort of like a motion comic book… except far less interesting.

Let’s get down to brass tacks here. A PERFECT GETAWAY isn’t the worst movie you’ll see all year, but it certainly isn’t worth your hard-earned $9-12 ticket price, in my opinion. It’s possibly worth a $3-5 rental, if you’re a fan of Timothy Olyphant, or just desperate for a mindless action/suspense film and nothing better is available at your local video store. The movie is visually energetic, but the overall outcome is less than electrifying.

Ron Howard and Tom Hanks have returned to bring ‘Angels and Demons’ to the big screen. This book-to-screen adaptation is the follow-up to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ both written by Dan Brown. For those of us that have not read the books, myself included, the underlying thought is a hope that the books are far better than the movies. I remember seeing ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in the theater, which is odd because what I remember most is the struggle I experienced in trying to stay awake through the movie. Maybe I missed something by not reading the book first, but the movie had little interest outside of Paul Bettany’s performance.

‘Angels and Demons’ does not suffer the same dismal fate of boredom, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have it’s problems. For the most part, this movie is a perfectly acceptable action/thriller on the level of what would be accepted from any mediocre-to-average film from the genre. Technically, the film successfully keeps our attention and moves along at a fairly productive pace. This pace does slow down considerably as the two-hour eighteen-minute running time progresses. If nothing else, the film is filled with plenty of fascinating relics and architecture to gander, providing us with an alternative remote tour of the Vatican City.

The acting as well is acceptable on the same level, but is not anything of significant note. Surprisingly, Tom Hanks does not seem to garner the same presense on screen in this movie as he usually does, nearly becoming a set piece than the star at times. No single performance stands out, but Ewan McGregor is enjoyable with his Irish accent. McGregor plays the “Karma Chameleon”… at least, I enjoy calling him that. He is actually called the “Camerlengo” Patrick McKenna, essentially the right hand man to the Pope himself. For those of a Catholic background, feel free to correct me if I misinterpreted this position, but I think it gets the point across. A large part of what makes this movie somewhat interesting, and then ultimately makes this movie a failure lies within this character, but not McGregor’s performance.

One of the biggest under-achievements of ‘Angels and Demons’ is it’s formulaic presentation. One could simply take ‘National Treasure’ and remove the plot of Nicolas Cage hunting down long lost American historical items planted by the Masons and transplant it with Tom Hanks hunting down secret religious and scientific symbols planted by the Illuminati. ‘Angels and Demons’ fells very familiar in this way, which adds to the fact that the movie is very predictable.

Much of the story’s mystery is lost due mainly to the lack of suspense and the excessive use of blatant foreshadowing and extrapolation of information we need not know in advance. For those who have read the books, I can only imagine this makes the film even less interesting. Even given that the film is nildly entertaining as an action movie with a far-fetched concept, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the ending. Of couse, I am not going to reveal this (in respect of those who have NOT read the books) but I felt the scene in which the film “should” have ended was deprived of it’s relatively powerful nature by another. The chronological ending, I guess it was maybe 15-20 additional minutes, is both ridiculous and far less effective. Upon viewing ‘Angels and Demons’ and reaching the above said ending that “should” have been, I would have given the film a solid three star rating out of five, but with the added portion at the end of the film, it drops to a less respectable two and a half stars.

[Overall: 2.5 stars out of 5]

Hannibal Pictures is developing a “neo-noir” detective story of which Tony Krantz (Otis) will be directing. The screenplay was written by Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers). The movie will star Antonio Banderas as a private dick in Los Angeles, hired on to locate a missing stripper.

From the way the plot synopsis reads, it sounds like it will have an element of dark humor involved, a la Oliver Stone’s ‘U-Turn’. Banderas’ P.I. character follows the case’s trail into the New Mexico desert where he encounters a Russian boxer, a trail of bodies and a billionaire trying to recreate the nuclear physics equivalent to the Big Bang.

[source: Variety]

Travis:

‘The International’ is the newest effort from director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Paris, je t’aime) and I found the film to be mentally engaging and suspenseful. The only drawback is, although not necessarily a fault, that the movie runs at a slower pace than the trailer and marketing of the picture would suggest. With the success and popularity of the Jason Bourne trilogy, the average movie-goer is likely to expect a fast-paced action/thriller. Well, this is your heads up. I recommend seeing ‘The International’ but I do so with a word of advice… see this movie without any expectations and you’ll leave the theater having enjoyed the movie.

Clive Owen (Shoot Em Up) stars as Louis Salinger, an Interpol agent with a checkered career rap sheet. Louis is struggling to uncover a major global conspiracy involving the International Bank of Business and Credit. When his key informer mysteriously drops dead right in front of him, Louis becomes driven to find a way to take down the bank he believes is behind the world’s most dangerous organizations. With the help of Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts, Funny Games), Louis attempts to take on the bank and it’s chairman (Ulrich Thomsen) from any angle possible, even if it means stepping outside the boundaries set by his own ideal of justice.

Despite the relative lack of action throughout most of the film, ‘The International’ maintains an intensity that is more psychological than physical. This isn’t the most original or least predictable movie of it’s kind, but it did hold my attention well enough for me to remain in the story and interested enough to wait for the outcome. I say it’s not the most action-packed movie, but there is one lengthy scene in the Guggenheim Museum that offers a heavy dose of fully automatic gun play and daring escapes. One of the most enjoyable performances comes on strong in this scene from Brian F. O’Byrne, who plays the average-looking but dangerous assassin.

There are a few small instances when what happens in the story seem just a bit too convenient, but this proves to be a small setback in an otherwise smart and well-directed delve into a fictional world of an international conspiracy involving every political, corporate and criminal organization on the planet. Sure, it sounds a bit overblown, but it’s the very approach that Tykwer took in depicting this story that allows it to tip-toe past the the label of being ridiculously absurd and safely inhabit the status of being reasonably believable.

[Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5]

Melissa:

Stupid! This movie was a waste of film! I enjoy a good conspiracy film but this was just plain dumb! Clive Owens plays a boring Interpol worker who has partnered up with a dull assistant attorney played by Naomi Watts. Together, they are trying to uncover an international arms dealing ring which involves one of the biggest banks around. Every time that they get close to uncovering evidence, people die.

This could have been a halfway decent story… but they diluted it with too much downtime, not enough action, boring jargan, and a really horrible ending. The ending (I won’t tell you what happens) definitely sums up the movie as a waste of 118 minutes. There was about a half an hour that they had me intrigued, but then they kept dragging on and lost me. It attempts to play   on the fear that big brother and those around us have all the power, are controlling us, and are doing mischievous things behind our backs… and fails.

If you need a good nap, and don’t have any Tylonol PM on you… then go see this film. Or don’t.

[Overall: 2 stars out of 5]

Jeremy:

You’re going to have to forgive ‘The International’s anachronistic premise, that of an unstoppable bank that controls international conflicts. The film was conceived well before the current banking crisis. Banks nowadays couldn’t finance a conflict between lemonade stands, but that doesn’t make the villains in Tom Tykwer’s thriller any less intimidating. These are James Bond villains, not Tom Clancy villains, and the realism with which they work oftentimes peters into unrealism. Still, the way the story unfolds and the genius and confident way in which Tykwer handles his scenes makes ‘The International’ a step above your average thriller.

The story of an Interpol agent, played by Clive Owen, and a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, played by Naomi Watts, attempting to take down one of the world’s most powerful banks shoots us right into the middle of all the turmoil. The first 30 minutes or so of the film force us to play keep up as these two jump from interview to interview trying to find any way to crack the inner workings of the villainous establishment.

The screenplay by first-timer Eric Singer doesn’t give its audience much time to breathe before the story progresses. Note I said “story†� progresses and not “action†�. This is anything but an action-packed thrill-ride. This is what I like to refer to as a “quiet thriller†�, one that develops through story and character instead of bullets and explosions (speaking of which, I don’t know why they showed any explosions in the trailer. There isn’t one to be found in the whole movie.).

‘The International’ is an investigative drama that pushes its lead characters from point A to point B to point C as they work their way closer and closer to the bad guys. It’s an episode of “Law & Order†� minus all the expository dialogue and Richard Belzer busting in every ten minutes to talk about someone he just got off the phone with. This is confident screenwriting, and Tykwer, whose ‘Run, Lola, Run’ and ‘Perfume’ are two films I absolutely love, handles the execution brilliantly.

Watts’ character could have been completely excised from the film, and you never would have known the difference, though. She really adds nothing to the story, nor does Watts perform the role in such a way that she would have been missed. This is Owens’ film from start to finish. He plays the part with a fury, giving his character the proper undercurrent of anger and strife to show us exactly what the character is going through.

But even Owen is upstaged by something else in ‘The International’. The real star of the show here is the work done by the location crew. Nearly every setting and locale found within the film is breathtakingly photogenic, not the least of which is the Guggenheim Museum in New York City where the film’s biggest shootout takes place. Tykwer moves the camera around the circular interior of the building with precision, allowing the severely intense scene to unfold with perfection. It is likely the best orchestrated shootout since the bank heist scene in ‘Heat’.

The ending doesn’t ruin the film, but it definitely is the worst aspect of it. I won’t give anything away, but it comes down to a character making a choice, one that’s building in his mind for an extended period of time. When it comes time to make that decision, the film could have easily gone one way, cut to black, and left us yearning for more. Instead, a rather convenient subplot swings around full circle, and that “cut to black†� peters out leaving us with only newspaper clippings to tell us the rest of the story. Like I said, it doesn’t ruin the rest of the film, but it is noticeable.

Don’t go see ‘The International’ expecting suspense at every turn or Clive Owen reprise his ‘Shoot ‘em Up’ role. This is a comfortably and sometimes rather slowly paced thriller that progresses its story with words not violence. That doesn’t make it any less intriguing, and, with Tykwer at the helm, it turns out being one of the better thrillers, “quiet†� as it may be, to come along in some time.

[Overall: 4 stars out of 5]

Zac:

Ridley Scott brings in a couple of A-listers in Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe to take a shot at the spy globe trotting genre, and what we get is a very real feeling and superbly made film that will keep you guessing until the end.

Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) is a C.I.A. operative in the middle east collecting intel and eliminating targets under the watchful eye of his supervisor Ed Hoffman (Crowe) who sits at home in D.C. and at Langley calling the shots from overhead surveillance from the sky.   Hoffman is a firm believer in the fight against terrorism, and will do anything he can to gain control of a situation, sometimes at the expense of Ferris not really being in on the big picture.   Ferris is the working grunt, risking his life and cover to help our intelligence flow, and he is not naive to that either, using it to pull some leverage on the ground when he can.   Either way, both men are out to get Al-Saleem, the most active Islamic Terrorist at the time who avoids being found by never getting on a cell phone, the internet, nothing; everything is face to face with him.   Al-Saleem is a thorn in the fight on terror’s side, as he has successfully been bombing European cities for a recent time with the U.S. government always two steps behind it seems.

Hoffman redeploys Ferris after his latest intel grab to Jordan to investigate a possible safe house that was discovered in the recovered documents.   Ferris takes command of the local C.I.A. operation there and decides he needs the assistance of Hani, a Jordanian official that will allow Ferris access to his secret service for reconnaissance activities on the supposed safe house.   Hani is big on trust and the truth though, something that Ferris fully believes in, but Hoffman’s antics could cause problems down the line.

To say more would be a disservice to William Monahan’s excellent script that keeps you on your toes and always wondering where it is going to go next.   Monahan crafts a very informed and realistic approach to the spy film and it feels like this could/is happening everyday over in the Middle East.   Nothing really seems all that far fetched and the Monahan never really gives into clichà © when it comes to the genre.   His best asset to keeping things different is the excellent character of Ferris that DiCaprio pulls off so damn well.   Ferris is a bad ass super spy, though he is not written with the suaveness of a Bond, or the perfect precision of a Bourne, he is just real, but really damn good.   He hits bumps in the road, he might have a bit of a struggle to overcome obstacles, but he gets the job done.   He is extremely smart and excels at his job, so while he might not be as flashy or grand as the two resident super spies of cinema, I wouldn’t be ashamed to put money on him in a fight; he can definitely hold his own and is one tough son of a bitch.   Hoffman is the perfect supervisor, full of himself, scheming, kind of a jerk, but Crowe makes him likable even in his pompousness.   Crowe does a great job here, though I wish there was more screen time for him, as he is a bit in the background to Ferris, which is fine, because DiCaprio is fantastic here.   Mark Strong also turns in some great work as Hani, as he is imposing, intimidating, and mysterious all at once, and will have you always guessing if there is more to him then he lets on.   Rounding out the cast is a possible love interest for Ferris in Golshifteh Farahani’s, Aisha, who does a great job of bringing a sweetness to the relationship she forms with Ferris, while maintaining a since of reserve do to the world they are in.   Monahan’s script does an excellent job here as well, in not throwing in some lavish romance for the sake of having one, and what he puts in here is more than appropriate the whole time.   Alon Abutbul also turns in some great work as Al-Saleem, making the most of his short amounts of screen time that he has.

In the end, Body of Lies, is a great spy movie that is expertly acted and crafted, but overall doesn’t have the story or suspense to knock your socks off.   Though, I don’t think the films intention is to thrill as much as it is to inform of this world that is out there, and make the viewer ask questions as to what are we doing over there in the Middle East, and to that effect it does well.   Like Scott’s last effort, American Gangster, you can’t really find anything wrong with this film, but you walk away feeling like it fell short of being something magnificent, but at least you can add it to one of the many great films of the year.

[rating:4/5]

Jeremy:

The Fall Ridley Scott/Russell Crow disappointment is becoming a yearly reminder that we need to turn our clocks back. In 2006, the two came out with the atrocious ‘A Good Year’. Last year, ‘American Gangster’ came out, and it, too, was a big disappointment for fans of the director or star. Is it coincidence or is a new pattern emerging? Now, we have ‘Body of Lies’, the latest film directed by Scott and starring Crowe. This time, they’ve brought Leonardo DiCaprio along, a pretty good ace in the hole considering his film selections the past couple of years. So, does ‘Body of Lies’ break the emergin pattern of disappointments? Does it fall into the same, substandard category as the previous two films?

In a nutshell, yes and no.

Based on Washington Post columnist David Ignatius’ 2007 novel, ‘Body of Lies’ stars DiCaprio as a CIA operative embedded into the Middle East. Crowe plays the operative handler, a DC bureacrat who enjoys sitting in front of a dozen monitors and watching the action go down from afar. The two butt heads constantly, the handler time and time again undermines what the operative is trying to accomplish. However, the two must work together if they are to bring down the head of a major terrorist cell.

There is a very interesting concept that comes up in ‘Body of Lies’. The field agent devises a plan to falsify the existence of an emerging terrorist group. He feels that in doing this, the terrorist leader they are searching for will come out of hiding and allow them to capture him. It is a brilliant idea for a movie, and it sets up a premise that could have filled out a full, two-hour film. Unfortunately, this idea is never even mentioned until after an hour of screen time has gone by.

The first hour of ‘Body of Lies’ follows a simple pattern. DiCaprio is making headway. He works towards uncovering a lead. Crowe casually swoops in and screws it all up. DiCaprio gets livid. Crowe calms him down saying somethine along the lines of, “We’ll get ‘em next time, buddy.” This happens two or three times all pretty much the same way as the previous time. There are a lot of scenes of these two characters heatedly conversing over cell phones, Crowe usually talking into an earpiece. You expect more action or even tension that rarely comes.

When the action does kick in, it is great. There is a short opening chase scene through the desert. Two SUVs are chasing DiCaprio in another vehicle. Two helicopters are chasing the SUVs. There are some great explosions and some really nice editing that puts the scene all together. It’s over pretty quickly, though, and we move on to the next sequence of buildup.

That is really what makes up most of ‘Body of Lies’, buildup. The film puddle-jumps between action moments that are few and far between. What makes up the in-between time is a lot of cliched arguments and contrived setups.

At one point, DiCaprio meets an attractive nurse. If you’ve seen any movie that follows the same, basic premise as this, you know one of two things are going to happen. She is either going to serve absolutely no purpose to the story, or she is going to become a major liability to the hero of the story. You really hope that Scott can come up with something different and original to do with her, but it just doesn’t happen. Aside from the long periods of nothing happening, ‘Body of Lies’ suffers from “been-there-done-that” syndrome.

What ‘Body of Lies’ does do very well is in the acting. DiCaprio has matured very well over the past ten years. He is long past the teen heartthrob who helped propel ‘Titanic’ to $700 million. He is a serious actor who never placates a role for the sake of making it easier on himself. He plays every part to its fullest, and he’s not afraid of where that may take him. This is no different here.

Crowe just likes to lose himself in a character. It helps that he apparently packed on about 50 lbs. for his part here. Even when he’s talking into the air with an earpiece dangling from his ear, he emits more intensity than most actors. It gets a little hammy when he’s looking up over the tops of his glasses. That gets a little old, but, all in all, a great performance by a great actor.

Also of note is Mark Strong who plays Hani Salaam, the head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department. He quickly proves himself to be in the same league as the film’s two leads. In fact, he probably deserves billing right up beside Crowe as the second lead of the film. An English actor, Strong wraps the character around himself making it his own.

Unfortunately, the debate on whether Ridley Scott has hit a snag in his career is still yet to be seen. ‘Body of Lies’ is disappointing only in that one expects greatness form someone like Scott, but the film is not entirely dissuasive. I guess it’s left up to ‘Nottingham’ to determine whether or not Scott has hit the filmmaking wall.

[rating:2.75/5]

Ram Man:

Leave it to Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe and Leo DiCaprio to do what America hasn’t…catch the head of a terrorist cell hiding in the Middle East. Scott directs Crowe and DiCaprio in the new film “Body of Lies” based on the novel by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. Body of Lies is a tale of covert CIA missions to eliminate the head of the terrorist “snake” and win the war on terror.

DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, the CIA’s best operative, deep undercover in the Middle East tracking down terrorist cells and the safe houses they use to store intel. Working with some of the local law enforcement they discover one of these safe houses with a guy burning Cd’s and paperwork in front of it. Ferris looks up and actually spots the satellite watching them and has them back off before they blow the operation. Ferris wanders up speaking Arabic about his car having a blown engine, when all hell blows! A gun fight ensues and leads to a SUV chase across the desert and ends with two choppers taking out the terrorist SUVs before they kill Ferris. Crowe plays Ed Hoffman, the over zealous head of the CIA covert ops division and direct supervisor to Ferris.

Hoffman is more a hinderence than an assistance in the ongoing operations. Hoffman trusts no one not in the CIA, but expects everyone to cooperate with him. Ferris, while following a lead from the information gathered at the safe house, goes to Amman Jordan and discovers the terrorist version of the Holiday Inn. A giant house with known terrorist coming and going freely. Ferris reaches out to the head of Jordan’s military police, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong). He earns Hani’s trust and the two begin to put a plan in motion to take down the safe house and capture Al-Saleem (an Osama Bin-Laden type terrorist leader). This doesn’t sit well with Hoffman who doesn’t trust Salaam. So Hoffman, secretly starts another operation without informing Ferris and ruins the entire plan. The terrorist burn the safe house and destroy all of the intel. Hani feels betrayed by Ferris and the CIA and kicks him out of the country.

In a face to face with Hoffman, Ferris comes up with a plan to create a faux terrorist cell using regular people with weak Al-Queda ties and a fake bombing of an American Army base to get the attention of Al-Saleem and draw him out of hiding. this is some of the more interesting and creative spy work in the film. Ferris, Hoffman and computer genius Garland (Simon McBurney) create all the people, backgrounds to fool the terrorist and Hani Salaam into thinking there is a new player in town. “Body of Lies” end up with a hostage exchange gone wrong with some deadly results and a well played twist that has you asking yourself just who can you trust?

Body of Lies is a well done espionage thriller taken from the headlines of the USA Today or right of of 60 minutes. Ridley Scott has hit another one out of the park to go along with his past success of American Gangster, Black Hawk Down and Gladiator. You have to wonder why he ever works with anyone else other than Crowe. Michael Gaston (Jericho) in a supporting role provides one of my favorite scenes in the film when Ferris takes over his office in Jordan and “castrates” his employment and takes over his office. He makes Donald trump look like Dear Abby. Body of Lies is a good film and in this day of the 10.00 movie ticket it is worth the price of admission.

[rating:4/5]

Travis:

Ridley Scott is an amazing filmmaker with a keen eye for action and a superb sense of how to hold suspense. However, despite his various incredible cinematic accomplishments. Scott doesn’t always succeed at the same level. ‘Body of Lies’ is a film that maintains Scott’s reputation but fails to rank as a “great” film. My overall opinion of the movie was positive, finding it extremely entertaining and technically very well-made. Scott has certainly developed a subtle but unique signature in his cinematography. The most immediate example of this in ‘Body of Lies’ is in his opening sequence, playing with the aerial spy-plane camera idea and maintaining this hi-tech theme throughout the film. This becomes a crucially important, but low-profile thematic element in this story of how arrogance and over-confidence can create a weakness in even the most powerful of adversaries. That adversary in ‘Body of Lies’ is the US, as the CIA struggles to gain the intellectual advantage over the extremists in the war on terror. The underdog, so to speak, are the Islamic terrorists who have abandoned technology all together, resulting in a sudden fallout of intelligence for the tech-savvy CIA.

Russell Crowe plays Ed Hoffman, the arrogant sharp-tongued CIA head of near-eastern intelligence. Crowe is truly entertaining as the fearless, slightly over-weight middle-aged CIA director. His attitude, while likely very unrealistic, is to approach everything in a casual and sarcastic manner, defusing serious situations with his own frustrating sense of humor. His man on the ground, Roger Ferris, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, finds himself a victim of this frustration as he discovers his mission in the middle East is not the only battle he must fight. Hoffman has a mind of his own and does what he wants, despite the wishes of Ferris, whose working to expose the Islamic militant leader Al-Saleem. DiCaprio does a decent job, but his character is less than dynamic as the performance is a tad flat. DiCaprio has really set a new bar for himself after ‘Blood Diamond’ and ‘The Departed’. I remember reading something about DiCaprio saying he was exhausted after shooting his brutal torture scenes, but I wonder if some of this scene got cut. What remains is still painful to watch, but is short-lived and much less brutally riveting than his “exhaustion” would have us believe.

‘Body of Lies’ is clearly a parable for the situation we have in real life, but like most films on this topic ends up more of a soap-opera version that entertains more than it teaches. The film focuses almost entirely on the relationship between Hoffman and Ferris, which is part of what makes the story so engaging. There are some sections in the film that seem to play longer than necessary, otherwise the movie moves at a good pace. Ferris’ Iranian love interest Aisha, played by Golshifteh Farahani, is strikingly beautiful in a mysterious and beautiful way that pairs well with her portrayal of the character who is smarter than she leads on. The real gem in this film is the sub-plot of Hani, the director of Jordanian intelligence, played by Mark Strong (Sunshine). The character is dark and menacing while also the most civilized and cool-tempered personality in the film. Strong nails the performance, adding a wonderful layer of uncertainty to the story that weaves shadow players and paranoia into the more straight-forward tactics of Hoffman and Ferris. I see nothing here that should garner any Oscar consideration for the recently popular favorite of the Academy, but that’s not to say ‘Body of Lies’ isn’t worth seeing. In fact, if you’re considering seeing this film… I say go see it in the theater. It’s the type of movie that’s complimented by the big screen and sound of the theater.

[rating:3.5/5]

Michelle:

Body of Lies, an anti-CIA Middle East thriller, is an around the world, old fashioned spy thriller from the 1960′s with Islamic terrorists taking the place of the KGB as the bad guys, while filled with twists and cover-ups. (It’s a lot like Tony Scott’s, Ridley’s brother, film Spy Game). Leonardo DiCaprio, as CIA-op Ferris running fast and furious through Jordan, now a bonafide movie star, has that simmering James Dean air about him. He seriously has the crap beaten out of him in the film. Russell Crowe, who gained 50 lbs for the role, takes on the supporting role of CIA head Hoffman, wearing his glasses on the end of his nose and calling all the shots from Langley. (This She-Geek hopes that doesn’t become a habit with Crowe and hopes to see his return to the strong roles with his Gladiator-type physique.) The truly amazing performance? The actor who steals the movie from superstars DiCaprio and Crowe? Mark Strong. As the suave, conniving Jordan’s Chief Intelligence Officer, he truly commands every scene he’s in. Can’t wait to see what he does with the role of “Archie” in RocknRolla.

Body of Lies is a movie that Warner Bros. greenlit because its two stars and star director, all proven commercial successes, wanted to make it. All it took was for director Ridley Scott to bring DiCaprio and Crowe together to star in his film. Along with a script from Oscar winning screenwriter William Monahan, (The Departed) Scott delivers an interesting, fast-paced thriller, with hi-tech gadgets, guns and explosions, and super cool helicopters. The powerhouse combination of DiCaprio, Crowe, and Scott make for one helluva Friday night at the movies.

[rating:4/5]

Zac:

The new film from D.J. Caruso is a solid action/spyish/thriller that would have done better service to itself if it had just been a bit more original.

Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is a Copy Cabana employee, he is struggling to make rent, and he has just found out his twin brother has died.   Rachel Hollman (Michelle Monaghan) is a divorced mom who has just sent her son on a school trip to play a show at the Library of Congress.   The two have never met and have no relation but are about to spend the next 48 hours on the run for their lives, and the lives of others.   Jerry becomes activated when he goes to the ATM to deposit a check from his parents only to find his bank account full of thousands of dollars.   To go on top of this, he arrives home to find his apartment full of weapons and bomb making materials before receiving a phone call to flee his apartment in 30 seconds before the F.B.I. raids his house.   Confused, Jerry does not make it out and is put into custody.   Rachel, on the other hand, is out having some drinks with her friends when she receives a supposed call from her son only to find the same voice that called Jerry on the line, threatening her son’s life if she does not comply with her instructions.

The two are eventually thrown together, and I have summed up everything you would find in the trailer, and to spoil more would be a disservice to the excellent advertising that doesn’t give it all away, so I won’t either!   The film from here is filled with a series of car and foot chases and twists here and there that the filmmakers keep smartly tucked away.   The twists, while never incredibly shocking, are fairly clever and Caruso does a good job of tossing in red herrings along the way.   The director also does a nice job of keeping you on your toes and keeps his cards close to his chest making you wonder how it is all going to play out.

Now, I wish I could go into the blatant unoriginality of a lot of the proceedings, but that would give way to much away.   But, when you see it, you will know what I am talking about and know I am not talking about the big brother similarities to Enemy of the State.   The most disappointing thing about the film is that it couldn’t come up with a more original plot device for the film, as Caruso does a very good job with the action and effects and it would be great to see that applied to something that feels new instead of a display of great execution at creating a bit of a run of the mill action/thriller.

The actors all do some good work here as well, and that contributes to the film being very entertaining even though it might not be the most original picture.   Shia plays the role a bit more serious than his recent efforts and that is a good thing.   He handles the action well and is very convincing as the fleeing bystander, and he should be since it is kind of a similar role to Transformers.   Michelle Monaghan also does good work as a desperate mother willing to do just about anything to protect her son.   She has good chemistry with Shia and they work really well playing off one another.   Billy Bob Thornton plays a hard nosed and hilarious F.B.I. agent who barks order and fires quick quips at the underlings around him.   He does a great job and makes the most of all of his screen time.   Rosario Dawson is the other big star in the film and she does a fine, but a bit of a generic job as an Air Force investigator that gets mixed into the greater plot of it all.   Michael Chiklis also plays a vital role as the Secretary of Defense and he conveys the underlying message of the film that has to do with our government’s actions and handling of affairs around the world.

In the end, Eagle Eye is a solid action/thriller that will entertain from start to finish.   The twists are plenty, though one kind of hurts the mystique of the film if you ask me, and while the “help” the two leads tends to get a bit absurd at times, just sit back and have fun and don’t worry about all that too much.   The action is great and the actors all do great work, it’s just a shame the writers couldn’t have been a tad bit more original, and borrowed a bit less from other ideas.

[rating: 4/5]

Travis:

DJ Caruso (Disturbia) is beginning to hone in on his directorial purpose in life. ‘Eagle Eye’ is Caruso’s newest flick and showcases his ability to effectively captivate audiences with action and suspense. The film stars Shia Labeouf (Disturbia)Â  as Jerry Shaw, a slacker who finds himself caught up in some mysterious hi-tech terrorist plot that he knows nothing about. Early on in his forced participation, he meets Rachel, played by Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone), a single mom who also happens to be dealing with the same unknown conspirator. For Rachel, her threatened son is the catalyst that keeps her actively involved in this terrorist’s intricate puzzle of very well organized chaos.

‘Eagle Eye’ also stars Billy Bob Thornton as Agent Thomas Morgan, a determined anti-terrorism specialist who believes Shaw must be connected to this large-scale terrorist plot, Michael Chiklis (The Shield) stars as Secretary of Defense Callister, and Rosario Dawson has a relatively short but enjoyable role as Air Force investigator Zoe Perez. It’s Thornton, however, who adds the sharp-tongued sarcasm and occasional but appropriate comic relief in this film. Amidst all the non-stop action, destruction and edge-of-your seat thrills, Thornton manages to keep us smiling without making being silly.

The story and the terrorist plot itself are fairly elaborate, perhaps a bit far-fetched, but it was believable enough to accept so that we could enjoy the film without thinking, “that can’t happen!” One thing’s for sure, the filmmakers spared no expense in the production of this explosive and fast-paced movie, with tons of destruction costs on the bill. I can’t remember the last film I saw featuring so many actual destroyed vehicles. If these were CG-vehicles, than they’ve gotten really good with making this stuff look real! ‘Eagle Eye’ features a chase scene which I would rank in the top ten of all-time, despite the fact that Rachel apparently is a very good high speed evasive driver, even though she has no clue how to properly drive a manual transmission.

Once all this fast-paced, destructive, high-tech action goodness comes to a boil, we finally find out who is responsible for this entire setup and it’s not who we would have typically expected. If I stretch the definition enough, ‘Eagle Eye’ is as much a sci-fi film as it is an action-suspense film. The technology plays a relevant part of the story and raises issue about society’s development and use of such technology. Overall, ‘Eagle Eye’ is a great movie to get caught up in and enjoy as a fun and exciting experience. The only complaint I have about this film is the Hollywood ending, which is tacked onto the very end, just after what I felt was the appropriate ending. But, you’ll just have to go and see it for yourself to know what I’m talking about…

[rating:3.5/5]

Jeremy:

I remember the first teaser for ‘Eagle Eye’.   In it, Jerry Shaw, played by Shia “The Beef” LaBeaouf, enters his apartment.   Inside the apartment are boxes and crates filled with all kinds of chemicals and weapons.   He gets a call on his cell phone.   A strange woman on the other end tells him that the FBI is 30 seconds away and tha the must leave immediately.   He begins to argue with her, and, as warned, the FBI breaks in arresting him.

The next scene shows Jerry in a room where he is allowed his one phone call.   The woman’s voice comes through the phone again, telling him he had been warned to leave.   Again, she gives him a warning.   He has five seconds to duck.   Behind him, a swinging crane plows through the wall and windows.   Jerry gets up and looks out the massive hole in the side of the building.   Across the street, on an electronic message board, the words “JUMP JERRY SHAW” flash by.

Cut to the film’s title.

It was a highly effective teaser.   It told us in a matter of seconds what would be in store for us when the film was finally released.   That should have been the only trailer released for ‘Eagle Eye’.   The later trailer revealed much more.   It never spoiled anything, but that first teaser gave us more than enough to pique our interest.

Part of why ‘Eagle Eye’ is such a great thriller is that the mystery is very hard to figure out.   A dozen possible resolutions pass through your head, and, chances are, none of them come to fruition.   The story works so well, because when we finally find out what is going on, it’s very well thought out and it’s very surprising.

‘Eagle Eye’ is a great film that throws a ton of twists your way.   Just about every scene has some swerve that changes the direction of the film.   Along those same lines, every scene has some purpose that feeds the main story.   This film is all of two hours long, and there is no fat that could have been trimmed.   The mystery just keeps piling on, but, unlike ‘Lost’ a few years back, it is never overwhelming.   You never lose interest as to what is going on.

And most of that is thanks to director DJ Caruso.   After the very underrated ‘The Salton Sea’ in 2002, Caruso was set to be “the next big thing.”   He followed that up with ‘Taking Lives’ and ‘Two For the Money’, both okay, but very lackluster.   His 2007 film, ‘Disturbia’, was a really enjoyable thriller that introduced the director to Mr. LaBeouf.   With ‘Eagle Eye’, he’s found his breakout film, and he directs it with a whole lot of enthusiasm.

There is just as much action in ‘Eagle Eye’ as there is mystery.   The action never disappoints either.   That crane that smashes through the building is far from the biggest set piece in this film.   There are car chases through Chicago, foot chases through airports, and a tunnel sequence that puts the one in ‘Live Free or Die Hard’ to shame.

A lot of the action works also because you care for the people involved.   LaBeouf’s character is pretty much a loser, but you know where he’s coming from.   The opening calm before the storm helps build this up.   LaBeouf really comes into his own here.   Unlike in ‘Disturbia’ or ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, he’s playing a mature character.   His acting benefits from this.   He was a star before ‘Eagle Eye’, but this is going to shoot him over the top even more.

Michelle Monaghan plays Rachel, a single mother who also receives a phone call from the mystery woman.   Her son is on a class trip, a trip to Washington DC.   The mystery woman tells Rachel to do exactly as she is told or the train will be derailed.   Monaghan is forced to show some severe emotion in certain scenes, and she pulls it off really well.   She also shows she can be tough if that is called for, as well.

Billy Bob Thornton is the other major notable here, but mainly for his comic relief.   Usually, in this kind of film, the humor doesn’t stem from the authoritative figure who is chasing our protagonists.   Caruso and Thornton turn that notion on its ear.   Thornton is funny, but, unlike Michael Bay films, the comic relief is witty and appropriate.   There’s no Anthony Anderson chowing down on donuts.   There’s no half-assed George Bush impression asking for a Ding Dong.   The comic relief is just one more thing that ‘Eagle Eye’ does right.

The story was conceived by Steven Spielberg, who acts as exective producer.   Between the story, the style, and the direction, this really feels like a Spielberg-directed film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.   We even get the Hans Zimmer-esque score provided by Brian Tyler.

‘Eagle Eye’ is Hollywood filmmaking done right.   It has a huge budget.   It has a named star.   There are moments near the end that could have been absent.   Likewise, there are a few minor plot holes that nitpickers could have a field day with.   Honestly, none of those flaws ruin anything else about the film.   This is great action serving a great story peppered with great acting and great humor.   ‘Eagle Eye’, in a nutshell, is a great time at the movies.

[rating:4.5/5]

Rogue Pictures has just announced it has green-lighted a sequel to their summer hit “The Strangers”. Liv Tyler..well ..lives and is scheduled to return for the next installment. The three unknown villains will be back and we might find out where they went next. Bryan Bertino will also return to pen the sequel.The original was soooo creepy just for the fact that you never see the villain’s face. They could be anyone. Also the crimes are completely random. So it could happen to anyone or anytime… maybe even you!   Production is slated to begin the first part of 2009.  

Look at the sad, depressed expression on their faces… its not because its the end of the world (well maybe M Night’s), its because ‘The Happening’ had a 67% drop off in numbers this week. That is depressing for all you Shyamalan minions. Hey Michelle..who called that one?!

Quid Pro Quo is one of those small wonder films from Magnolia pictures. The movie centers around Issac Knott (Nick Stahl) a reporter on National Public radio in New York. Issac, paralyzed and stuck in a wheelchair from a car accident at a young age, still searches the streets of the big city for the strange and unique story. Issac finds it when he stumbles on a group of people who actually are paraplegic wanna-bes. I have heard of fetishes: feet, hands, and the kinky sex stuff… but to think that there is a group of people out there that dream of being bound to a wheel chair is MESSED UP! Issac meets Fiona (Vera Farmiga) during an encounter with this group and decides to interview her and get some perspective on why they want to be like him. She brings him into her world and seduces him into the wanna-be world.

Quid Pro Quo is in the classic Hitchcock style and supplies the audience with plenty of intrigue and suspense and there are even a few twist in the end that will shock you. Quid Pro Quo is one of the art-house pictures that is hard to find at the theater, but it is well worth the search.The film opens this Friday in limited release and follows nationwide. If you can’t find it, Magnolia is very good about getting their films out on DVD quickly. It should be on the shelves in about a month.

Warner Bros. has selected Guy Ritchie to write and direct a new version of Sherlock Holmes. This adaptation, based on an upcoming comic book by Lionel Wigram, will present Holmes in a new light. They want Holmes to be less of the traditional British stiff and more adventuresome. Ritchie will rewrite the script originally crafted by Michael Johnson. The film is tentatively planned for an October 2010 release.

What would you do if you were told you would die by the first snow of the season? Would you believe it? How would your life look from that point on? Would you relish every moment you had left, or … would you become so paranoid that those last days or weeks were wasted worrying about the details of your death?

First Snow, written and directed by Mark Fergus, follows the final days of the life of Jimmy Starks (Guy Pearce). Jimmy is an egotistical smooth-talking salesman looking for his big score. While returning home from a business trip, Starks’ car breaks down and he finds himself stranded in a dusty old town while the mechanic waits for parts. During his stay, he visits a man named Vacaro in an RV who says he can tell fortunes. Starks figures its all for fun, until Vacaro (J.K. Simmons) senses something that disturbs him and ceases the reading. Starks has an argument with Vacaro over getting his money’s worth then leaves, only to realize through odd coincidences that there may be something to Vacaro’s readings. Starks returns to have Vacaro finish the reading, but Vacaro reluctantly leaves him only with this advice … “One thing is certain… you will be safe until the first snow.”

Guy Pearce is great in this suspenseful story of one man’s struggle with himself as he approaches what he believes is his inevitable fate. Fergus weaves a fascinating story, touching on themes of guilt, remorse, regret and the emotions of fear and loss. First Snow ends with a wonderful twist that both surprises its audience and also fulfills a certain need we develop for Stark’s redemption.

So let me first say that when I originally saw this trailer way back in ’05-’06 it looked like a completely different movie. As some of you may know that this film wrapped in 2005 only to get bootlegged and released on DVD in a couple foreign countries. They shelved the movie due to all of this and now its coming out April 18th 2008. So lets get into the review.

Al Pacino plays forensic psychologist Dr Jack Gramm who has specialized in studying and assessing serial killers. One such serial killer claims he has been wrongfully accused and starts playing with Dr. Gramm. The tagline of the movie is “He has 88 minutes to solve a murder. His own.” which doesn’t make much sense because..he isn’t dead. I Know its foreshadowing but it doesn’t work and the end result is a movie that isn’t nearly as smart as it wants to be. Everything in the movie is predictable, the “surprise” ending isn’t surprising and it just comes off as a disappointment. I didn’t get bored during the movie, but some parts of the acting were kind of cheesy, and the predictability gets a little annoying.

The movie isn’t 100% bad, and is a little enjoyable but coming out this weekend against ‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ and ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’, I definitely would choose something else to go see. Maybe go see it once you have seen every other good movie in theaters, or just wait for it to hit DVD (which I am certain you can still find on ebay … but I didn’t say that).

I give it a 6 out of 10, and maybe the 21% it got on Rotten Tomatoes gives you an idea of what to expect.
[rating:2/5]

Mike Hodges wrote and  directed Pulp (1972) one year after making the original Get Carter (1971). Michael Caine stars as Mickey King, a pulp novelist … or as he once refers to as a writer of “gangster fiction.” Mickey enjoys the life of the writer, except for the writing part. He chooses instead to dictate the manuscripts for  his cliche’-laden genre gems to transcribers  who can  typewrite as fast as he can spew the bawdy words from his mouth. As it turns out,  Mickey has one very special admirer, played by Mickey Rooney,  who sends a representative to make him a very lucrative offer to write his biography before he dies. Sceptical, but lured by the promise of easy money, Mickey sets out to see what all the mystery is about and finds himself immersed  in what could pass as one of his own pulp novels.

Pulp is a gritty production and feels every bit of the 1970′s combined with the film noir pulp of the 1940′s. Despite  the plot consisting of an unsuspecting writer being commissioned by a wealthy mystery man and followed by a mysterious hit-man, the movie is primarily a comedy. The humor is dry and punchy, but surprisingly well-done. I can’t help but laugh at watching such a young Michael Caine in full-on 70′s wardrobe and hair. The style of humor is subtle, bit its influence is sort of very low-key Monty Python and Carry On. Sort of …  tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendo with brief sight gags. I find Pulp enjoyable in the same way I found Casino Royale (1967) enjoyable, only Pulp is far less absurd. If you’re a Michael Caine fan, this is highly recommended.