Category Archives: 2010

2010, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Mayhem, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Salt (2010)

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From NetFlix:

After she’s accused of being a Russian sleeper spy, rogue CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) goes on the run, using every tactic, accent and disguise she knows to elude her pursuers, clear her name and protect her husband. Her supervisor, Winter (Liev Schreiber), buys her story, while counterintelligence officer Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) decidedly does not and will do anything to stop her in this fast-paced, intrigue-filled spy adventure.

When I started to watch Angelina Jolie (age 35 during filming, daughter of Jon Voight) prove she is still a kick-boxer, I groaned and thought I was not going to make it through all the mayhem. But for this film the story line is full of amazing twists and turns that I just could not predict. Try and write down in advance where you think the plot will lead and see how well you guessed. Then send me your results, especially if you even came close.

Violence is just lots (and lots!) of punching and shooting. Our Angelina pulls off physical stunts that are probably not humanly possible. But does it matter ? And is that cleft in her lower lip real? Even in her many disguises, there’s that telltale cleft !

Jolie and Schreiber are well known. Chiwetel Ejiofor (age 33 during filming, born of Nigerian parents in London) played Jonah Gabriel in the TV series “The Shadow Line”.

You will not be bored!

2009, 2010, 2011, British, Child Molestation, Complicated, Crime, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Lawyers, Made For TV, Rape, Suspense, Wonderful acting

Law and Order: UK (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Dick Wolf’s long-running “Law & Order” franchise expands across the pond in the first season of this gritty police procedural that’s set on the streets of London and based on scripts from the American series. The first case finds detectives Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) and Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) teaming up with prosecutors James Steel (Ben Daniels) and Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) to get to the bottom of a baby’s untimely death.

Don’t get me wrong, Kathy and I love all the American “Law & Order” shows. But I find that this British version is better, more intense, and offers more courtroom drama. Beginning in 2009 the series ran into 2011. And then one of the lawyers, James Steel, used some plot excuse to leave the show and as far as I know the series ended at that point.

If you like “Law and Order”, DO NOT MISS THIS TV SERIES!

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, British, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Cynical, DO NOT MISS, Flirting, Love Story, Made For TV, Political Suspense, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Torture, TV Series, Wonderful acting

MI-5

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From NetFlix:

This award-winning series dramatizes the professional exploits and personal lives of the “spooks” of MI-5, the British equivalent of the FBI. No-nonsense head officer Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) guides a band of dedicated spies who risk their lives every day. The team includes expert and junior members who must balance real life with the job’s requirement for complete secrecy, no matter the cost. Matthew Macfadyen and Richard Armitage co-star.

Beginning in 2002 and continuing at least to 2010, this British TV-series is “utterly smashing”. Intense, sometimes hard to watch, but incredibly exciting in just about every episode. What makes some episodes difficult to watch is that the members of MI-5 are forced at times to make hard decisions that involve “collateral damage” (meaning some poor soul dies), so much so that those members are often damaged themselves and actually leave MI-5 (i.e. leave the show). In fact, be prepared for many, sometimes disappointing cast changes. For example Rupert William Penry-Jones (the character Adam Carter) started the show and then disappeared for awhile to be replaced by Matthew Macfadyen (the character Tom Quinn) who then leaves the show and is replaced by Rupert William Penry-Jones.

There are too many wonderful characters to even mention them. You can find them all listed in IMDB.

In addition to spook plots, there are also many romances. But any romance for a member of MI-5 is next to impossible because even their significant others cannot know what these spooks do for a living.

2010, Based on true facts, Drama, Made For TV, TV Series

Any Human Heart (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Riding the waves of the 20th century to two continents, Logan Mountstuart tries his hand at writing, the art trade and espionage, brushing shoulders along the way with a stunning assortment of iconic personalities. Jim Broadbent, Matthew Macfadyen and Sam Claflin pool their acting talents to portray one multifaceted man through three different seasons of his life in this sweeping British drama based on William Boyd’s best-selling novel.

Matthew Macfadyen seems noticeably older in this 2010 British two-DVD TV-series than he did eight years prior as Tom Quinn in the part of MI-5 made in 2002-2004. But that is as it should be because he plays the middle age part of the three ages of Logan Mountstuart.

Jim Broadbent as usual does a good job. This time he is the aged Montstuart.

For what it is worth, you might recognize the actor who plays Ernest Hemingway as the same actor who played the son of Inspector Foyle in the British TV series “Foyle’s War”.

British Masterpiece TV series should be your cup of tea in order to enjoy this pair of DVDs. Although there is a minimum of royalty involved, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson play a significant role in the story. Every British drama that I have seen that involves Edward and Wallis has in one way or other condemned the couple. In this regard “Any Human Heart” is no exception. Logan is sent to spy on the couple because it is believed that Edward is war-profiteering by dealing in currencies. There is also the suggestion that Edward had a man burned to death in his bed. If this star-cursed couple interest you, then there are even more lurid facts in the Wikipedia article.

For a good discussion of the book by William Boyd see the Wikipedia article.

2010, Drama, Gloomy, Religious Theme, Sex Scenes

Lebanon, PA (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Urbane Philadelphia ad man Will (Josh Hopkins) heads to small-town Lebanon for his father’s funeral, and the road leads not only to closure but to a revelation when the 35-year-old meets his precocious teenage cousin, CJ (Rachel Kitson), and her winsome teacher, Vicki (Samantha Mathis). As his friendship with CJ deepens and his warmth for the married Vicki grows, Will comes to realize that life can’t always be summed up in a catchphrase.

It probably can’t get any more real than this film that sadly captures the difficulty of living in a small town. Almost a feel-good film because of the way in which characters help each other with their problems, it is just those problems that are all too real and present in today’s world. You learn about those problems early in the film, so listing them is not a spoiler. But you will have to watch the film to discover what, if any, are the resolutions for those problems.

  • Will is a lonely 35-year-old dissatisfied with his life and finding it difficult to come to terms with his memory of his deceased father.
  • Vicki is in a troubled marriage and sees life and opportunities passing her by.
  • CJ is pregnant in her last year of high school and wants desperately to go to Drexel University for college. She suffers at the hands of her spiteful school mates, her conservative Catholic father, and others in the small(-minded) community.
  • Will’s mom faces poverty in her old age

Seems like a microcosm of today’s world, wouldn’t you say ? But it is NOT a downer film. Stay tuned for the good parts.

2010, Comedy, Cooking and food, Drugs, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Love Story, Medical Theme

Life As We Know It (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Caterer Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) and network sports director Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) discover a reciprocal hatred during an ill-fated first date — but are forced to put their feelings aside when their mutual friends die and they become the guardians for orphaned Sophie. Now, Holly and Eric must learn to live with each other and juggle their promising careers while taking care of the little girl in this romantic comedy.

If you are searching for a good date movie AND you are wild about infants and children, then I have a good film for you. If anything this film shows in a realistic way just how all-consuming a task it is to raise a child, let alone to also want a career. In a way, the only contrived part of the scheme was that a dead couple’s will could stipulate guardians for the orphans without the consent of those guardians. And how realistic is it that the man and woman guardians (who supposedly dislike each other) would consent to the idea AND share the house of the deceased parents ? Who cares! It is a fun film with lots of pleasing sight gags.

Katherine Heigl, who plays the woman Holly, played opposite Gerard Butler in “The Ugly Truth”. Josh Duhamel, who plays the man Eric, so far seems to be mostly Major Lennox in the Transformers films. Josh Lucas had significant roles in The Weight of Water (2001) and Around the Bend (2004).

In some way I resent these films in which the characters, of course, live in a million dollar house deep in wooded suburbia. But then wife Kathy says people watch movies for escape. Good luck on that mortgage!

2010, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Explicit sexual discussion, Love Story, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

Barney’s Version (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Golden Globe winner Paul Giamatti stars as Barney Panofsky, a Jewish Canadian television producer who reflects in flashbacks on three strange decades — and three wives — in this adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s acclaimed novel. There’s Clara (Rachelle Lefevre), a free-spirited proponent of free love; “Mrs. P” (Minnie Driver), a self-centered princess; and Miriam (Rosamund Pike), the right woman who comes along at the wrong time.

Paul Giamatti has made many wonderful films but I suspect he will be remembered best for this masterful portrayal of a contemporary scum-bag. Even while he is betraying wives or murdering his best friend, he does it with such panache that it is just plain fun to watch.

And what is it about this physically unattractive rogue that captivates three such women ? Rachelle Lefevre (Dr. Ryan Clark in the TV series “Off the Map”) is gorgeous. Minnie Driver is a perfect Jewish American Princess. Finally Rosamund Pike (one of the Bennet sisters, Jane, in the 2005 “Pride and Prejudice”) is amazing as a beautiful, warm, mature woman.

Giamatti’s facial expressions are fascinating. Do not miss his wicked smile at the precise moment in which he realizes that his best friend (Scott Speedman, Spencer in “Good Neighbors”) has just had sex with wife number two, thereby giving him ammunition to divorce said wife.

In 2010 Dustin Hoffman was 73 years old while Giamatti was 43. Dustin Hoffman doesn’t look that old to me. In any case the father-son relation was touching. Giamatti laughs when he father dies for a reason that escaped me. Under what circumstances did the father die ?

My no-spoiler policy precludes me from discussing the end of the story. But be prepared for a surprising denouement.

DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

2010, Could be boring, Cowboy, Revenge, Western

True Grit (2010)

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From NetFlix:

After drifter Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders her father, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires alcoholic U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her exact revenge. The disreputable lawman still has grit, though, and mounts an epic search. Joining the duo on their quest is a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) who’s also hunting for Chaney in this updated Western that received multiple Oscar nods, including Best Picture.

This “True Grit” is the third that I can find where the two other versions were made in 1969 and 1978. Probably I should revisit one of those older versions because this 2010 version is almost boring.

Quaint language might be fun to listen to. But I wonder if anyone ever in the history of the United States ever really spoke like that.

Jeff Bridges offers an eccentric character whereas Matt Damon just plods. Probably there are many 14 year old girls who could read the lines just as well as Hailee Steinfeld. Josh Brolin is a credible Tom Chaney. Sorry, but there is just nothing special about the acting.

Moreover, the sequence of events is just that, without offering any tangible suspense. Even the violence seemed pro forma. And the ending seemed pointless.

Have I missed something ? Try an older version.

2010, Acceptable Trash, Comedy, Gangs, Gay theme, Mayhem, Occasional gore, Super Hero, Suspense, Unusual, Violent, Vulgar

Kick-Ass (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Inspired by his love of comic books, high school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) decides to transform himself into a masked crime fighter — a decision that eventually thrusts the teenager into Internet stardom. Soon, Dave’s antics inspire a wave of would-be heroes to don costumes and live out their superhero fantasies. Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Moretz also star in this comic book adaptation from director Matthew Vaughn.

Thanks to my deep-tissue neurological torture-massage specialist Chris Smith (a movie fan) for recommending this outrageous sample of mayhem.

Except for Nicolas Cage, I recognized no other actor. Of course, many of the actors are teenagers. At first my reaction was, “Oh no, not a teenage film !” But stick with the film for awhile and you might enjoy the very, very violent fun in this satire on super heroes. In fact the violence is two things: extreme, and extremely unlikely. Scene after scene the daring duo (Nicolas Cage and the character playing his daughter) perform outrageously impossible feats of marital art, shooting, gun reloading, etc. Without digital techniques this film could not begin to exist.

I am reminded of the 2007 Clive Owen film “Shoot ‘Em Up” in which time after time he performs remarkably impossible shooting sequences. If you enjoyed one of these films, you will probably enjoy the other.

From time to time I really had to laugh at jokes and some slapstick. Warning: this film is not for everyone, and is certainly not for mature audiences, and in fact could easily become another outlandish cult film. Another warning: out of the mouth of the child super hero comes some very vulgar purple prose. Shocking!

Sadly, I enjoyed the spectacle. Shame on me!

2010, Acceptable for children, Based on true facts, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All, Wonderful acting

The Company Men (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Written, directed and produced by John Wells (“The West Wing”), this indie drama stars Ben Affleck as a successful businessman who comes face-to-face with America’s downsizing epidemic when he loses his job and is forced to take a construction gig. Rounding out the all-star cast are Kevin Costner as Affleck’s brother-in-law, Tommy Lee Jones as a conflicted corporate bigwig and Chris Cooper as a paranoid executive.

Films like this make me glad to be retired. Somehow the corporate world seems to get uglier every day. Indeed this film hits the nail on the head. Not only are the situations all too real, but the reactions of the jobless are sadly true to form. Superb acting makes the film a pleasure to watch, despite all the unhappiness.

Some of the men do not survive. Interestingly enough in one such case the wife cannot accept the loss of status and demands that her jobless husband leave the house each day with a briefcase and never return until evening. What would the neighbors think ? There is a similar theme in the British film “The Full Monty”.

Let us hope that it is believable and does happen that some wives (as in the case of Ben Affleck) not only accept the downsizing but help their husbands with the adjustment and the reality check. Affleck’s character gets it right as someone who refuses to accept change but gradually softens to the point that he accepts a job from his builder brother-in-law (Kevin Costner playing his part well).

Additionally I would like to believe that many jobless find a way to fight back in the sense that they have enough self-confidence to begin something new and trust in the future.

Tommy Lee Jones has often played in films that somehow preach on a subject and this film is no exception.

Hats off to Craig T. Nelson who delivers a perfect performance as a corporate swine who fires his own best friend and could care less.

Finally this film is actually a feel-good (at least for some characters).