Friday, January 27, 2012

Antitrust

Villainous software magnate Gary Winston hires computer whiz Milo Hoffman to help his company, NURV, develop a new satellite-communications system. At first, it's a dream job, but Milo's best friend soon meets with tragedy.


I watched this movie to see Ryan Phillippe and Claire Forlani eight years ago. They looked good then and they look good now. This is a typical "computer geek uncovers something amiss" story. In this case, it's in a global Bill Gates-like corporation. He joins the company only to discover that many things occurring around him are not as he thought. Suspense, mystery, and close-calls make-up this fairly predictble, but entertaining film. The critics said the acting was bad. I didn't notice.

Trespass

A husband and wife find themselves pushed to their absolute limit when they're held for ransom by brutal thugs who invade their home. As tensions escalate and shocking revelations emerge, the couple is forced to take ever-more desperate measures.


I didn't enjoy this movie for a variety of reasons. This movie revolves around a home invasion in which the burglers attempt to get what they want by threatening the members of this family. The only problem is that the family isn't very sympathetic, so I wasn't exactly rooting for them. Also, the robbery itself is far from convincing. The group of burglers are very disorganized, some just take off and hide in some remote part of the house, and (this is a pet peeve of mine) the guy with the shotgun repeatedly racks a round into the chamber for effect (since no shell ever comes out, this would mean it's unloaded). I watched this movie because I was hoping that I'd see good performances by Cage and Kidman in a thriller by Joel Schumacher; however, all three are well past their prime and this movie is a waste of time.

White Collar

Ultra-suave forger and con man Neal Caffrey (Matthew Bomer) always dresses impeccably, even when he's prison-bound after FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) captures him. To avoid jail, Neal signs on to help Peter catch other white-collar thieves but conceals an ulterior motive. Aided by squirrely pal Mozzie (Willie Garson), Neal searches for his missing girlfriend while using high-tech gadgets and old-fashioned charm to nab bad guys with Peter.


I don't know enough adjectives to describe White Collar. Clever. Smart. Cool. Attractive people. No (or few) shootings and bombs and car chases and things exploding every 2 minutes. Clever remarks, quick come-backs, good quotes, action moves along nicely, the secretive things are exciting always leaving you wonder what happens next. Fact that Neal does not like guns should resonate with most of the audience. Do you like guns? Are guns part of your life? If you're one of us normal people, probably not. He doesn't like guns even when they're not loaded. Neal, of course, is probably the handsomest guy on TV with those piercing blue eyes. I really love the show. Peter, Mozzie, Alex, June, Elizabeth, and Neal are all excellent. Waiting impatiently for the 2nd season on DVD, and 3rd on TV.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Limitless

Imagine Wall Street and Catch Me if You Can tossed into a blender with a dash of Blade Runner. Limitless is a spectacular film that tells the story of a struggling young man who, when at the end of his rope, turns to a quasi-pharmaceutical pill known as NZT which, for better or worse, drastically changes his life. Using the darker side of life in New York City as a backdrop for this surprisingly action-filled film about corporate greed, Limitless will claim every second of your attention from start to finish, but, be careful, if you don't stay on your toes and keep track of every detail of the film you may find yourself as dumbstruck as Eddie's opponents. I have rarely seen a film with this kind of fresh look on film-making that still remains accessible to the average movie-goer. I give it 5 stars for creativity, excitement and more than enough story to go around. That said, due to some very adult themes, overt sexual allusions and some rather graphic violence, parents may want to be careful about allowing their children to see this film.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, but thankfully it's an absolutely hilarious riff on the cabin in the woods genre. It's not one of those awful parody films like "Superhero Movie", you can tell this film was made by people who love the genre and there are nice little references to Texas Chainsaw and Evil Dead and other films sprinkled throughout. The cast is great and Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are great together. It isn't a splatstick film, it's bloody but it isn't overly gory so feel free to watch with your weak-stomached friends. I saw this at the Dallas International Film Fest and the entire audience was rolling with laughter and gave a huge round of applause at the end. The director said the main complaint he gets about the film is that there isn't enough nudity, but I think you'll be to busy laughing to care.