Statham And Franco Face Off In ‘Homefront’ (Movie Review)
I love it when a movie really delivers on its promise. Make no mistake, Homefront is a B-movie, but it is a damn good one. It is the kind of action film that roots itself in the actions of characters and only feels gratuitous in the presentation of certain action scenes, but not in the cause. There was an initial thrill that came from hearing the premise and seeing the trailer for this film, but I was incredibly happy to be very entertained by the actual film and really rooting for certain outcomes to take place. Jason Statham may not ever break away from doing fun action movies, but at least he is adding different shades to the roles he takes and choosing projects that I like seeing.
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It can be hard to try and critique a film, when it comes to addressing one that uses the basis of another film that one already loves. It is hard to critique a film at any time really, as it requires a certain amount of consideration that really drags in all of what it going on in one’s life at the time, regardless of whether or not it was intended. The 2003 revenge-thriller Oldboy is a favorite film of mine. I was intrigued by the notion of a remake mainly because of the strong talent that seemed to be standing behind it. Josh Brolin is a capable lead actor, Elizabeth Olsen already had my eye from her breakout work in Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Sharlto Copley has impressed me with his wildly different turns in various films. Having Spike Lee serve as director was the strangest piece of the puzzle, as the story of Oldboy feels like nothing he has tackled before. Unfortunately, the film does not come together in any way that really properly makes a case for why this story needed to be told again.
There is a certain kind of logic I am intrigued by when a studio decides that a big family dramedy that is to be released on Thanksgiving should be based around a sperm donation gone disastrously wrong. That’s what happened and Delivery Man is unfortunately not better than the premise suggests it could be. It is not for lack of trying, as I generally like Vince Vaughn in almost anything and feel the film actually makes its dramatic beats work fairly well, but given that the film is ostensibly a comedy, Delivery Man fails to…deliver more than a few laughs to go along with the hearts of the 500+ children that Vaughn becomes responsible for.
Something I have picked up on lately is how making something look easy on film has been becoming the mark of some very talented filmmakers. It is one thing to get very flashy with the camera and set up elaborate shots, but it is another to make people and human conversations look natural. Improvisation is one thing, but even that can lead to unnatural results. Being able to have a scripted scene take place and have the actors involved convey exactly what is needed to communicate realism is tricky, but it does happen. Director Alexander Payne is not necessarily capturing super realistic dialogue on film in Nebraska, but he does something more. Amidst the dialogue spoken in this film, Payne manages to capture a lot of reaction shots and really dwell on people living their lives in their own offbeat ways. There is more going on than simply placing a camera somewhere and shooting, and Nebraska gets a lot of credit from me for being so affecting, given how minimal of a film it appears to be.
If there is one thing that Charlie Countryman was able to do, it was remind me to express how much love I have for the film Run Lola Run, which is a fast-paced, off-beat, flurry of an action film, supporting themes of love, chance, and inevitability vs. free will; all while being fueled by a pulsating techno soundtrack. Charlie Countryman has a lot of this as well, but while the film makes good use of location and provides Shia LaBeouf with a chance to show off his talents away from big blockbusters, it is also a big violent mess. What begins as a promising, off-beat, romantic adventure turns into a dirty, illogical film that fails to connect.
I feel like I already might be surprising people by saying this film is a sequel. Back in 1999, The Best Man was released in theaters and became something of a sleeper hit. Along with The Wood (also starring Taye Diggs), the all-black romantic-comedy-drama scene was still a solid subset of films around this time, as it pre-dated the era of Tyler Perry and allowed for less gimmicky takes black characters living everyday lives. Now we have a follow up film, which explores what has come of a certain group of characters a decade and a half later. While it is not as exquisitely told a tale, compared to Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, which are films also separated by a lengthy span of time, The Best Man Holiday is still a film that works based on the chemistry of the ensemble cast, regardless if one is familiar with these characters already or not.
Thor: The Dark World seems like a clear statement by Marvel Studios, insisting that they are simply here to entertain. While there are more complex comic properties that have adapted into films featuring more than just adventurous heroics for the leads, spending two hours with Thor and the gang was an unlabored blast. It has its share of issues involving story presentation and the effectiveness of the villain, but I had such a good time watching this film and the main actors in it that I hardly felt troubled by the messiness of a film that tries really hard to keep moving and be entertaining. Regardless of all the strings that come with these various Marvel superhero films, I was very happy dive back into the world of Thor and witness Mjolnir in action.
Before I begin I have to be honest with you all. I forgot how awesome the first Thor movie really was until I revisited it this past weekend, finally being able to unwind and watch a Blu-ray in my new house. Anyway, the first Thor is a big ball of fun, in my opinion, and I embarrassingly remember how apprehensive I was back in the day when they first announced they were making a big screen solo adaptation of the Marvel Comics Norse superhero. I was definitely not a believer back then. Iron Man was one thing, but introducing the world to a mythological interstellar superhero was just not going to fly…at least I thought. Man, I could not have been more wrong. And coincidentally, I’m glad I was wrong about that because not only did I enjoy the first Thor film, but I also loved his character in the subsequent Avengers flick too. So here we are. It’s November 2013 and we all know what time it is, right? Of course we do! It’s time to get down with the further adventures of Thor! So go grab your hammer and come fly with me. 
It is strange that a film like The Book Thief will likely be facing an uphill battle in its efforts to be regarded as a praise-worthy film, beyond just the idea that sits as pure Oscar bait. Granted, it is a WWII drama, set in Germany, based on a popular novel that deals with a young girl vs. the tenets of National Socialism, but that does not mean it should be dismissed. Personally, I am not a fan of the term, “Oscar bait,” but it is hard to avoid it sometimes and a film like The Book Thief fits the criteria to a T. With that said, ideally the term applies to movies that are generally good and that is why I am happy to defend my thoughts on the film, as The Book Thief was an affecting piece of filmmaking overall, with some splendid performances and a story that has a nontraditional backdrop to work with, despite being set during World War II. I just wish the film found a way to play some key dramatic moments a bit differently.
On the surface, after seeing multiple television spots as of late, Last Vegas appears to be nothing more than a cash grab at the box office as the older generation’s version of the wildly popular first entry in the franchise, The Hangover. Heck, it’s even about four friends and a bachelor party in Vegas! How much more convincing can I be in my initial assessment? And guess what?! The movie poster’s tagline even reads that “it’s going to be legendary.” I got to be honest with you. I feel like I hit a grand slam here. The Hangover involved four guys, Las Vegas, a bachelor party and it was…L-E-G-E-N-D-A-R-Y. However, we’re always taught in life not to judge a book by it’s cover so was I right or was I so wrong? Let’s roll the dice and find out! 
It’s a well-known fact that the world’s highest mountain peak is Mount Everest. But within the mountaineering community, it isn’t necessarily the most notable claim to fame to conquer its summit. Mount Everest has had some 3,000 people successfully reach its peak, but to the northwest between Pakistan and China, lies K2— the second highest mountain just 784 feet shy of Everest. With less than 300 successful summit attempts and a 20% higher death toll amongst its climbers compared to Everest, climbing K2 has proven to be one of the most difficult and deadliest mountains in the world. The Summit uses interviews, footage and photography shot by the climbers, and reenactments in an attempt to recreate the deadliest and most controversial day in K2 history.
