THE EQUALIZER II Review

Denzel Washington is sixty-three years-old and will be sixty-four this coming December. I can recall taking note of this fact when writing about the first Equalizer film when Washington was about to turn sixty and how impressive it seemed that the guy had no intentions of slowing down. In the interim between that 2014 film and what is the first sequel one of the world's most charismatic actors has agreed to be a part of, Mr. Washington has still shown no signs of slowing down. Since The Equalizer Washington has already paired with director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) again prior to this latest entry with their remake of The Magnificent Seven which I found to be immensely entertaining as well as having adapted, starred in, and directed August Wilson's seminal piece of work in Fences for which he was shrouded in awards love. And again last year, the actor earned another Best Actor nomination for his work in Dan Gilroy's quirky, but largely effective Roman J. Israel, Esq. (which I probably liked more than you). The point being, each of these gave Washington the chance to continue to do what he loves as he flexed a different muscle in regard to each respective project, but the choice to return to the character of Robert McCall among every character Washington has played is a curious one. I enjoyed The Equalizer upon initial release and was happy to find it wasn't simply another case of an aging star attempting to cash in on the Liam Neeson-proven method of combining a once valuable name on the poster above a newfangled action-centric conflict. Of course, Washington was never relegated to being a star whose name ever lost any value. Denzel is Denzel and no matter what he does people typically turn out in fair enough numbers to justify his mid-range action projects and awards contenders. In fact, since 2009 (which accounts for Washington's last ten films), the star has never seen less than a $50 million lifetime gross with the exception of Israel last year with seven of those ten releases doing over $70 million worth of business during their theatrical runs. Denzel, the man, is typically all the brand recognition that is required and so it feels weird that Washington has been brought into this fold of sequels and franchises. Maybe it's just the first time someone has offered the actor a follow-up to one of his projects or maybe it's just a sign of the times. Whatever the case may be, The Equalizer 2 isn't exactly what one might hope for in a "first" from Denzel Washington, but more it plays into what the first did more to subvert in not being your by-the-numbers action flick as this sequel, with nowhere else to go, had no choice but to surrender to the trend.

Official Trailer for THE EQUALIZER II Starring Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington, who is now a ripe sixty-three years-old, has finally decided to make a sequel and while that may sound exciting and enticing given the actors prolific and well-regarded career it might get a little less enticing when I tell you the character Mr. Washington has decided to re-visit for the first time in his nearly thirty-five plus year career is that of Robert McCall, a retired agent turned hired gun. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Magnificent Seven) is back as well with Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and the first The Equalizer screenwriter Richard Wenk. That is to say, if you enjoyed the first one-which I liked well enough, then odds are we're in for more of the same here as it will no doubt be done just as effectively. I remember being surprised by how methodical the first half of that first film was-Fuqua and Wenk really giving the movie time to breathe and the character of McCall to really be defined before getting pulled into what the movie inevitably was-another of Washington's shoot 'em up actioners in the vein of 2 Guns, Safe House, and Out of Time that would be profitable due to Washington's name above the title and the fact every credible leading man from the nineties was now getting their own shot at an action franchise. Washington is different in this regard though, as he has always been able to walk the line between critical and commercial projects rather seamlessly and has built a brand because of that. Now that Washington has actually engaged in a franchise with which he will forever be associated it will be interesting to see if Fuqua went about doing anything different in his approach to the continuation of McCall's story or if they will ditch the nuance of that first film altogether for little more than revenge scenarios and broken bones. What we glean from this first trailer is that McCall is still serving justice for the exploited and oppressed, but his limits are seemingly put to the test when someone he loves is brought into the fold. Not much to go on, but if you're up for another gritty action thriller starring Denzel Washington you likely can't go wrong with what this will deliver. The Equalizer II also stars Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, Pedro Pascal, Jonathan Scarfe, Sakina Jaffrey, Ashton Sanders, Abigail Marlowe, and opens on July 20th, 2018.

SNOWDEN Review

For the second year in a row now we have a fictionalized account of real-life events that were already well-documented in award-winning documentaries starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing weird accents. And, much like The Walk, the biggest obstacle Snowden was going to need to overcome was that of the one for its own relevancy. Not only did most of the American public see the splattering of media coverage when the Snowden story broke in the summer of 2013, but many also watched Laura Poitras' Oscar-winning documentary, Citizenfour, that was released in 2014 and chronicled how Poitras along with Guardian reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill traveled to Hong Kong to meet with Edward Snowden and discuss how to break the news of the information the whistleblower was willing to leak. That rather riveting documentary was more than enough to give us a portrait of who this man was and why he did what he did without going into overly dramatized flashbacks or even divulging all of his professional history with the CIA and the military. Solely through how he presented himself in the current circumstances he was facing at the time of Citizenfour viewers glimpsed what type of man Edward Joseph Snowden is and what he might have done were he presented with the dilemma of going along with a CIA field operatives dirty plan or standing up to that more seasoned field agent and doing what he felt was right no matter if it meant him resigning from the agency or not. While we could have likely guessed what path Snowden would have taken given the virtues and sentiments he doles out in his Citizenfour interviews for some reason director Oliver Stone has found it necessary to go back and fill in those gaps just in case you didn't get it. While the idea of a feature film around Snowden isn't inherently a bad one what Stone has chosen to do with the material in telling a straightforward account on the life and times of Snowden in the twelve years leading up to the incident that would make him the, "World's Most Wanted Man" make the idea seem downright unnecessary. Given this is exactly the type of territory Stone has always enjoyed covering, especially when he has a particular point of view on the subject and wants nothing more than to convince you he's right, I expected Snowden to offer a compelling and thoughtful argument and examination for and of the actions Snowden took and why they should be celebrated rather than slammed, but while Stone's position is evident there is nothing here to compel an indifferent viewer one way or the other.

Full Trailer for Oliver Stone's SNOWDEN

It seems as if we've been talking about Oliver Stone's Edward Snowden film for two years now, but today we finally have the first full trailer after a teaser that debuted last June. I wasn't sure what to expect from the film given it seemed a rushed project to capitalize on current events. It didn't help my optimism that the fascinating documentary, Citizenfour, had already come out and with the involvement of the real Snowden had already shed as insightful a light on the situation as possible. Seeing actors go through similar motions would seemingly only feel like watching people play dress up. This is certainly a concern still given the vocal choices star Joseph Gordon-Levitt has seemed to adopt for his portrayal of Snowden, but this trailer also displays the advantages of having a dramatic narrative around a popular public figure. This aspect comes into play mostly in the early parts of the trailer as we are given highlights of what led Snowden to work for the NSA in the first place. His desire to serve his country and honor its legacy is an admirable quality no matter where one falls in line politically and will undoubtedly set the character up as a likable and endearing individual who audiences will find it hard to turn on once the events he's well-known for begin to happen. The story of Edward Snowden is certainly ripe for an adaptation by a filmmaker who has made his name on interpreting history and historical figures, but only time will tell if this is the Stone that brought us JFK and Born on the Fourth of July or the one who brought us Savages. Snowden also stars Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, Nicolas Cage, and opens on September 16th, 2016.

LONDON HAS FALLEN Review

There is nothing more pleasing than a product (or an individual for that matter) that is completely self-aware. It just makes everything less awkward when the fated time comes where one must be honest and up front about things. This is what makes both London Has Fallen and its predecessor, Olympus Has Fallen, so easy to like and enjoy. Both films know exactly what they are and strive to be nothing more (or so I thought given the idea of a sequel to such a film would presumably follow the same pattern). As a blatant Die Hard rip-off that means to entertain a certain type of audience primed for a certain type of entertainment London Has Fallen mostly fulfills that quota. Are either of these films necessarily good? No, not really. The dialogue is cheesy, the CGI is cheap, and the plot is almost completely nonsensical, but to say they're not at least a good bit of fun would be a lie. Gerard Butler (bouncing back somewhat from last week's truly terrible Gods of Egypt) is charismatic enough to lead the charge in this kind of film while the four-man screenwriting team has upped Aaron Eckhart's presidential role considerably so that there is something of a buddy cop dynamic to the proceedings. Oddly enough, while Olympus made $161 million worldwide on $70m the budget for this sequel apparently went up by $35m, but looks a fair amount cheaper. Iranian director Babak Najafi takes over for original helmer Antoine Fuqua and despite having more money, but a broader canvas on which to paint this inevitable, but costly sequel ends up feeling like more of a laborious effort than its rather elementary predecessor. In short, there are times when London Has Fallen does unfortunately forget what it needs to be (a wall to wall actioner) and instead gets too wrapped up in the politics of the plot resulting in a film that's all the more ludicrous while also slowing what should be a breakneck pace. It is when Najafi sticks to what this franchise is known for rather than attempting to broaden its horizons that audiences get what they paid to see. There's a line in the film, some words of wisdom, that go, "never criticize, only encourage," and while this may not apply to film criticism given "critic" is the root word of the job title if I were to have encouraged London Has Fallen to do anything it would have been to stay more true to itself and not try to be more than what it was always destined to be: a painless cash grab.

THE BIG SHORT Review

In the context of the film it makes perfect sense, but to audiences smothered in cinematic choices this holiday season The Big Short is unfortunately one of the more forgettable titles. It helps marginally that the faces on the poster are four of Hollywood's heaviest hitters with Brad Pitt bringing in the biggest pull (and ironically putting in the least amount of screen time), but even this won't be enough to distract moviegoers from what might be a saturated market made worse by a complicated story that has been relayed in sardonic terms by the director of Anchorman. Of course, if you've payed attention to any of Adam McKay's work you'd know the director of Anchorman and other such Will Ferrell comedies including Talladega Nights and The Other Guys is actually the perfect choice for a film that desires to tell of the housing market crash that occurred in America in 2008. It is a story in need of sharp social commentary, of a mind that might give the boring numbers game an insightful twist and McKay is able to deliver on all fronts by crafting a final product that is as funny and stinging as it is heartbreaking and tragic-a detriment, almost, to the American spirit. And yet, throughout the over two hour runtime the film never ceases to be breathlessly entertaining. There is so much going on, so many words being spoken, so many deals being made, and so many new characters being introduced at such rapid rates that we never have time to settle in, but rather stay perched on the edge of our seats. With its hands in so many different pots it would be easy for the The Big Short to go off the rails, but somewhat unexpectedly the film finds a certain groove in its latter half that, while not matching the frenetic speed of the first two acts, brings in the necessary levity that strikes the perfect balance between both the ridiculousness of the situation and the dire real world consequences. McKay, working from his and Charles Randolph's screenplay that is based on the book by Michael Lewis (The Blind Side, Moneyball), is able to remain so laser focused on what makes these characters so interesting in their own right that the fact they exist in this compelling real world situation is only icing on the cake.

Full Trailer for LONDON HAS FALLEN Starring Gerard Butler

Olympus Has Fallen was a numbingly entertaining action movie, but it feels like it was light years ago at this point. Has Gerard Butler even done anything else in the three year interim between these films you might ask? No, unless you count his voice work in How To Train Your Dragon 2 which was substantial, but otherwise we haven't seen the Scotsman's mug on the big screen since saving the President in March of 2013. We will see him in Gods of Egypt come February, but the month after will see his delayed return to Mike Banning, Secret Service man extraordinaire, who this time around will discover a plot to assassinate all the world leaders attending the Prime Minister's funeral in London. While original director Antoine Fuqua used his resurgence in popularity after Olympus to go on to bigger and better things this second round of mayhem was helmed by something of a novice feature director in Iran-born Babak Najafi (only two features to his credit over a sixteen year career). Still, I'm sure his instructions were clear in that Focus Features (yes, focus Features is distributing this) wanted more of the same in order to get butts back in the seat during the doldrums of March with hopes everyone might need a bit of escapism after the typical depression and drama involved with awards season fodder. Also starring Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Sean O’Bryan, Charlotte Riley and Waleed Zuaiter, London Has Fallen opens on March 4, 2016.

First Trailer for THE BIG SHORT Starring Brad Pitt

It was with an unexpected twist that Paramount decided to unveil the first look at director Adam McKay's (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, The Other Guys) first foray into more dramatic territory, The Big Short. With Paramount having a somewhat tepid year when it comes to any possible awards contenders it looks like the studio will be banking big on McKay's latest. The film certainly has the star power to be a contender as the likes of Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell head this thing up with a plethora of solid character actors filling in the supporting roles. While this is good news for those of us that love movies one has to wonder if it was a wise choice to place another film in an already crowded market. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens clearing out the majority of December all of the late awards bait is either opening on Christmas Day or in platform style in the following weeks after the major holiday. This will make movie-going a little less horrible for those who don't live in major cities through January, but now the question will be who will rise to the top? Given neither The Revenant, Joy, Concussion, or The Hateful Eight are likely to budge from their Christmas day spot, one has to assume Paramount has some pretty positive feelings about their product. Following four outsiders who saw the impending global economy collapse coming in 2008 the film tracks them as the housing market crashes. The Big Short also stars Melissa Leo, Tracy Letts, Finn Wittrock, Hamish Linklater and opens on December 11th before expanding wide on December 23rd.

THE EQUALIZER Review

It seems that just last week I was talking about the lengths in which Liam Neeson takes to prove his badassness, how he uses his credibility as an actor to up the quality of what would otherwise be B-movie action thrillers and how he sometimes uses his new reputation to his advantage (such as luring folks into A Walk Among the Tombstones which is more noir than pulp). In the wake of such power it seems he's started a trend. I discussed this when Kevin Costner (so desperately seeming) tried to replicate this kind of success earlier this year with 3 Days To Kill, while folks such as Tom Cruise and Guy Pearce have completed a version of these excursions in hopes of carving out their own character with a particular set of skills. All of this is to say that Denzel Washington didn't necessarily need a character of his own (much less one that he resurrected from an 80's television show) but it wouldn't hurt to try and so he did and so we have the feature film version of The Equalizer. On that note, this is a movie made in a manner that is extremely content with itself; from the marketing (those horribly plain posters) to the over-used slow motion and standard score (seriously, this soundtrack is pretty awful) and it clearly feels very little need to be more than this because it has Mr. Washington at the center of it and his presence alone garners it all the dignity and solemnity it needs to be taken more seriously than it actually is. Having said all of that, I rather enjoyed myself in the slow paced, but precise thriller that allows Washington to develop a more singular character than he has since maybe Frank Lucas. That isn't to dismiss the work he has done in between (he certainly deserved his nomination for Flight), but we all watch a Denzel Washington movie to see Denzel Washington and while he still plays that card to good effect here he also isn't the typically charismatic, well-rounded human being we are accustomed to seeing him portray. He is a man supposedly cut off from emotion or sentimentality, but who can't help but feel if he has the power to do something right, he should do it. No, The Equalizer isn't a great film, but like so many Liam Neeson and Tom Cruise features it does what it's supposed to do and it does it well enough that we'll take the sequel with open arms when it comes around.

First Trailer for THE JUDGE

Director David Dobkin is entering uncharted territory with The Judge. The director whose claim to fame is Wedding Crashers and who has since gone on to make Fred Calus and The Change-Up is looking for something a little more enlightening, a little more artistic and just all-around more credible in his latest. The trailer for The Judge certainly speaks to each of these ambitions and if it didn't over-play the score that forces us to feel like this will me some triumphant championing of courage, family and love it might really hit home. The good news is that it does indeed look beautifully shot and there is some damn fine talent in front of the camera that will hopefully distract from this studio approved, seemingly contrived conventions towards which this trailer largely plays. Of course, this could all very well be slight misdirection as I'm sure Robert Downey Jr. isn't going to just sign up for anything in his free time away from playing Iron Man and so while the trailer makes this look more melodramatic than I expected I can't help but think the final product might be something a little deeper and more authentic with a very well-planned and beautifully constructed composition from Dobkin. All of that said, this tale of a broken father/son relationship and the strain time and distance (both figuratively and metaphorically) have put on them will land the focus and weight of this film squarely on the heads of Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. Both seem to be in fine form here and the dynamic between them looks to be reason enough to see the film. The Judge also stars Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Billy Bob Thornton, Dax Shepard, Melissa Leo, Leighton Meester, Ken Howard, David Krumholtz, Balthazar Getty, Denis O’Hare and opens in theaters on October 10th.

First Trailer for THE EQUALIZER

Folks, Denzel Washington will turn sixty years old this December, but lucky for us he shows no signs of slowing down as he continues not only to act in films and lead them, but to lend his name to high-octane, adrenaline pumping pictures that one would think more in line with what Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg are looking to add to their resumes. To follow-up his fun-time team-up with the aforementioned Wahlberg in last years 2 Guns Washington has enlisted in a re-make of the hit 1980's show The Equalizer under the helm of his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua. As a child of the 90's who was born in the late 80's I have no real connection to the source material or know what the premise of it was besides a guy kicking ass and taking on missions, but if there were those worried the film adaptation might change things up there seems no reason to worry as the first trailer for Fuqua's film shows off little more than Denzel kicking butt and taking names. The thing of note here is the style in which all of this is done as Fuqua clearly has a consistent tone nailed down while seemingly borrowing from Guy Ritchie and his Sherlock Holmes films as Washington's Robert McCall visualizes his altercations before engaging in them while Fuqua's camera takes us inside his mind and shows us step by step what McCall plans to do to the bad guys in slow motion then allows the scene to play out in real time in which McCall utilizes his environment to brutal results. It is a technique we've seen before, but will likely work well because so much of it depends on the mind it takes place within and Denzel Washington, being one of the last real movie stars working today, is no doubt a charismatic and interesting place to be. Needless to say, I'm eager to see what this seemingly straight-up B-movie actioner has to offer. The Equalizer also stars Chloe Grace Moretz, Melissa Leo, Martin Csokas, Haley Bennett, David Harbour, Bill Pullman and opens September 26.

CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN Review

The original title of this film added a slightly indulgent "The Unnecessary Death of" before stating its titular protagonists name. I still thought that the title until I realized it had been cut short to simply introduce us to Shia LaBeouf's character and the man in which we would be following on this journey that's described simply as him finding love in a Romanian beauty only to become entangled in the drama her intimidating and very violent ex-husband brings to her life. The film is being modest though in this description as Charlie Countryman has much more to it than a simple love story and both visually and dramatically it is consistently striving for something more, something important and more substantial than what it appears to be on its surface. I can see how it would be easy to take this film as first time feature director Fredrik Bond finding his footing and infusing writer Matt Drake's screenplay with a strong sense of style and visual flair that would allow it to appear as nothing more than an exercise in artistic freedom, but as I took the film in I couldn't help but to feel they were really trying to accomplish something here. Drake has only penned a few screenplays in the past, his only feature being what couldn't have been more than a sketch outline for 2012's Project X, but once that forgettable paycheck project was out of the way it seems he was ready to really invest in something he was creating and thus we have the plight of Mr. Countryman. I've always had a soft spot for LaBeouf simply because I enjoyed Even Stevens so much as I was growing up and was happy to see him go on and find success in big-budget blockbusters, but as he's grown up too it is clear he wants to challenge himself and feels a want to find material that is more satisfying for him to look back on, something he might actually be able to be proud of when he hits fifty; at least moreso than watching himself run from CGI robots. With this film he has at least proved he has the capability of accomplishing such a feat even if the overall project may seem somewhat lacking. Despite the name change there are still plenty of over-indulgences in the film as it's never sure of what it wants to be and its tone skips around so much that we sometimes don't know with what context we're supposed to accept a scene, but more times than not Charlie Countryman is an entertaining if not introspective look at how the soul compensates for loss and continues to love.

PRISONERS Review

Prisoners is as much a compelling drama as it is an investigation into the psyche of moral dilemma and how far is too far when the end goal is hope, but the road is littered with hate. It presents an interesting debate for the audience to discuss not only because it documents a gripping series of events, but because it begs you to ask yourself what you might do were you placed under the circumstances of the characters on display here. The film opens with a stark shot of a wooded area. The gray and light tints of green and brown are almost overwhelming, but we are soothed by the voice over of a man praying. He is saying the "Our Father," and though my first thought was somewhat dismissive of this being a cheap trick to try and be mysterious and vague by serving up the familiar words as a cautionary layout for where we were headed there came to be no religious theme, but simply a characteristic that helped us better view the complexities and the eventual battered state of Hugh Jackman's body and soul. Director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies) makes his big studio debut with this film and he has picked and intricate and tightly plotted script from Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband, I know, I know) and filled it with such massive talent that what at first seems to be little more than a story about two girls being kidnapped with their respective families doing whatever it takes to try and find them and turns it into something akin to the great crime dramas that have come out over the past two decades, mostly thanks to David Fincher. I mention Fincher specifically as Prisoners shares more than a tone with both Se7en and more appropriately Zodiac as it featured a subdued but impressive performance from Jake Gyllenhaal and this film gives us an equally subtle, but more intense showing from the actor. The film is a mystery wrapped in the normality's of middle America which allows it that extra layer that makes it all the more chilling, all the more close to home, yet doesn't flinch or back away from what it's committed itself to when it gets down to the tough spots. Prisoners is a brutally relentless, but consistently engaging film that stays with you.

First Trailer for PRISONERS

Usually the months between the summer movie season coming to an end and the awards movie season beginning tend to stink, but over the course of the last few years September has been receiving some increasingly better fare. Just two years ago we were given Drive, Moneyball, and 50/50 all in the last three consecutive weeks of September and last year we received The Master, End of Watch, and Looper; all six of which were in my top 15 films of their respective years. It looks like that trend might have the steam to continue on this year as we've already received a trailer for Ron Howard's Rush that opens on the 20th while that same weekend we will also be treated to Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners. Villeneuve is a Canadian director who hasn't yet made any films you might have heard of yet, but he seems to have brought a strong adult drama to the screen with his latest along with a bevy of credible stars as well. It is refreshing to see Hugh Jackman somewhat out of his element (not singing or wearing claws) but instead tackling the role of a middle class working man who is simply out to find the man that kidnapped his daughter and her friend and who will stop at nothing until they are found or the person who is responsible is dealt with. Though the trailer seems to go too deep into the third act of the film I am still intrigued by a mysterious aspect of it that is represented in the poster as well, but for the most part ignored in the trailer. We see footage, but we get no explanation. This could be false hope and the movie could turn out to be nothing more than a routine kidnap thriller, but I'll be optimistic enough to hope for more. This doesn't seem foolish as there had to be something here that pulled in the rest of the impressive cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, and Paul Dano. Prisoners opens September 20th. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  

OBLIVION Review

It takes a while for Oblivion to get going and therefore might lose some of its audience before it really digs into why it's worth sticking around for. I am generally a fan of both science fiction and anything Tom Cruise decides to do and so to have them both served up in a single film that looked to be as gorgeous as it did while paired with a story seemingly ripe with mystery and intrigue from the mind of the director which could only mean a good amount of passion was applied, was rather exciting. My first thought as the credits began to roll though was not how incredibly beautiful the film was (which it is) or how solid the performance of Cruise was (reminiscent of a young Maverick even) but instead I couldn't help but wonder what exactly the film was trying to say or what any of it meant. Was this a simple minded sci-fi flick that had style first with substance a distant second or were all the twists, turns and intended surprises truly trying to say something? I couldn't decide and I wasn't sure I even understood all of what went on in the film. I assumed a few things and talked out a few other plot points I needed clarified on the ride home, but never did I feel fully satisfied with the story or that the filmmakers even had as much of a handle on it as they'd like to have us think. A clear vision for the world it would take place in? Sure. A wonderful musical score that somewhat rips off Daft Punk's from director Joseph Kosinski previous (and debut) feature, Tron: Legacy? Yea, but I was good with it. Still, the story seemed to come in last here; cobbled together from several different influences of the same genre and hoping to pass for something as fresh and new as the look of the film, Oblivion failed to live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine enough film and is rather entertaining if you give it a chance, but it certainly isn't all it could have been.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN Review

It is about time Gerard Butler went back to doing what he does best. After his breakout role in 2006's 300 the charismatic Scotsman resorted to taking every major script he was handed that unfortunately ended in a string of bad romantic comedies (The Bounty Hunter, The Ugly Truth) while venturing back into the action game with results that ranged from horrible (Gamer) to entertaining but empty (Law Abiding Citizen). It has been a good six years since Butler has made an entertaining and successful mainstream film (RocknRolla and Coriolanus serve as indie cred, but were never afforded the chances to reach as wide an audience). These thoughts come to mind after realizing just how numbingly entertaining his latest effort, Olympus Has Fallen turns out to be. It doesn't help that Chasing Mavericks and Playing for Keeps both of which opened late in 2012 and both of which flopped massively (the latter being absolutely trashed by critics) are still fresh on most avid movie-goers minds and that this was some kind of shot at redemption. Even with his track record against him and the current box office climate that has not seen early 2013 be too kind to R-rated action flicks, this new film from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) has managed to capture that charm, that silliness, and that zeal present in so many action flicks of old that is as cliche-riddled as it is a solid, tense thriller with a plot only the movies could see fit to pull off. I like Butler and I liked his character of Mike Banning, but it didn't hurt the star has a good director and an outstanding supporting cast behind him helping make Olympus Has Fallen the best action flick of 2013 thus far.

International Trailer for OBLIVION

We thought we might have to wait until Sunday for the revealing of the Oblivion trailer, but it looks as if an international trailer has hit the web already. Directed by Tron: Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Zoe Bell, and Melissa Leo the first look at the futuristic sci-fi film is certainly nothing short of gorgeous. Though it follows the well worn pattern of engaging its audience with a perception of the future and then wrapping its main plot devices in mystery I am still hooked. The plot sounds interesting though I'm hoping it doesn't pale in comparison to the wonderful visual style they have designed for the film. It also seems a little lazy they have decided to go with the name Jack for our main character. This is the second "Jack" Cruise will be playing in a row. I have high hopes for his Jack Reacher in a few weeks, but am much more excited to see how this one turns out. Universal has Oblivion scheduled for an April 19, 2013 release but it will hit IMAX theaters exclusively the week before on April 12.

FLIGHT Review

Denzel Washington defines magnetism. The guy produces this aura that attracts audiences to him no matter what character he is playing. No matter if his character might even be the most repulsive person we've ever met. In the new film from Robert Zemeckis (his first live action film since Cast Away) Mr. Washington plays Captain Whip Whitaker who may not necessarily be the most repulsive guy we've ever seen grace the screen, but regardless, has a full plate of issues. While the advertising for Flight has made the film seem like an interesting, if not mystery-steeped production that deals with what I anticipated climbing to a dramatic final courtroom sequence actually turns out to be a serious yet nuanced film about the struggles and downfalls that come along with any kind of addiction. We are of course teased with the fact that Whitaker was intoxicated while piloting the plane in the trailer, but we are unaware that this is where the heart of the story is going to lie. Though the overall film is less than I expected it to be I cannot deny that I felt a certain intrigue throughout. While Flight is a little too long and sometimes can become a little too preachy when its momentum begins to slow in the third quarter you never want to give up on the film because Washington brings such presence and pain to Whitaker that he makes you not want to give up on him. Even as it seems his chances are bleak and that the man would do anything to continue avoiding and ignoring those in his life who want to help him, we hold out hope as an audience. The film is captivating as a character study with a great performance at the center holding it together. The film crashes when trying to escape its dark territory.