Ed's Review Dot Com

Warner Brothers

Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn Roberts

It’s easy to take shots at Mel Gibson these days.  He’s been in the news a lot lately.  But it was nice to see the old Mel in this movie.  He is great in these kinds of roles.

Mel’s an old cop, Thomas Craven, and very jaded on life, but very anxious for a visit from his daughter.  She has a secret and was looking for a chance to get it off her chest, when suddenly she’s killed.  The assumption is that it’s revenge on Craven, but in investigating who’s out to kill him, Thomas starts to learn that his daughter led a secret life.   Lot of things he didn’t know.  The more he unravels the more he is shocked to learn what it’s all about.  Now he may be in over his head trying to figure out what really happened.

Now Craven just doesn’t care, and is able to do anything legal or not, to find out what’s behind the murder of his daughter.  This is where the old grumpy bad-ass Mel takes control and it’s an exiting trip.

This movie was a surprise.  I really didn’t expent much from it.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  Usually I find myself losing focus, and occassional rewinding to find out,  “Hey, what just happened”, but this DVD kept me riveted in the story.  It was refreshing to have Mel back and many compare this movie to Payback, and I think that’s a fair comparison.

The story is similar to others, but fresh enough to stay interesting.   And Craven can get the truth out of just about anybody!  This film is based on a popular English Mini-Series also called “Edge of Darkness”.

Nice police drama.  Glad to have you back Mel, keep up the good work.

Movies Releasing Next Week On DVD | August 10th, 2010

• Date Night (Blockbuster Exclusive,  September on NetFlix)
• Death at a Funeral
• Letters to God
• The Joneses (Blockbuster Exclusive, September on NetFlix)
• Our Family Wedding (now on NetFlix)
• La Mission
• My Name is Khan (India)

Paramount Pictures

Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow

Directed by Martin Scorsese, this film could have been a blockbuster but for one major flaw.  It was horribly wrongly marketed!  The previews and the advertisements certainly made this film out to be something that it was NOT, and when people saw it, they were deeply disappointed.  They were expecting a horror spectacular, a supernatural thriller, and it wasn’t anything like that at all.   This is a suspenseful mind game from start to finish.  You will never be able to relax, as you don’t know where you are or which way is up!  Nothing is what it seems, then it changes, but it’s not that either.  I don’t want to compare it to other films, as the comparison would give away the secrets of the story, but let me say it’s not a horror movie at all.

However it’s a wild ride and very nerve wracking and suspenseful.  It keeps you on your toes through it all.  There are clues, but they are easy to miss.  It’s much easier to watch and listen and be confused for a long time till at the end it becomes crystal clear.  There are evil villains and heroes galore, but you can never tell who is who.

It’s got great cinematography and eerie atmosphere.  This place is not a fun place to live, that’s for sure!  And this guy volunteered to go!  Wow.

DiCaprio has been is some strange movies lately (see Inception for an example).  Not sure what his career goal is in doing this, but working with Martin Scorsese must have been a blast.  And there are some fantastic actors in this film!  Max von Sydow and Ben Kingsley.  This must have been a joy to make.

I haven’t read the book, but I bet it’s a good read, but the movie is a great suspenseful ride if you don’t come in expecting a horror flick.  If you like your mind bent into weird shapes, this will do it!   If you’re one of those folks that figures out what’s going on before it happens, then good for you.  I’m kind of glad to be dumb enough to not see it coming and get shocked in the end.  And after the shock, is a few more shocks.  You might end up like some who ended this movie with “What just happened???”   The last few minutes are up for interpretation, but it’s a clever ending.  If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean.   This was filmed in Acadia National Park in Maine, and it’s a perfect setting.

Oh if they had just marketed this right, people would have looked at it with different eyes and it “could have been a contender.”

Woodshed Films, Inc

Yvon Chouinard, Jeff Johnson, Makohe

180 degrees South is a documentary, tree hugger sermon, outdoor showcase, and extreme sports film.   It is available on NetFlix “Watch Instantly”.  There are some problems with this film, but basically it’s beautiful.   Put aside the preaching of the environmentalist.  We understand that American’s are the most evil people on the planet, and man has destroyed almost all of nature with his greed and on and on and on.  But aside from that, this film is beautiful.  It documents a group who have dedicated their lives to doing what they want!   Hop on a boat and set off to Patagonia!  (This was in 1968).   The footage was found a few years ago by Jeff Johnson and he set off on a journey to recreate the trip.  The film is a compilation of the two trips.  On the way they visit the Galápagos Islands and Easter Islands, and some great surfing.  Then on to South America and a mountain climb of epic proportions.

The scenery is beautiful, and the cinematography is breathtaking.  If you love nature in it purest and untouched, this is a perfect way to see it.  If you love extreme sports like big wave surfing or mountain climbing, this is a way to enjoy it.

I enjoyed watching the views, and discounted a lot of the preaching, and all in all found it enjoyable.  I know some people loved it, and some hated it because they couldn’t get over the “message”, but I found it somewhere in the middle.   As a documentary, it was very well done, and worth the time I took to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Movie Rentals Releasing on Tuesday August 3rd, 2010

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Blockbuster Exclusive – August on NETFLIX) (Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron)
• Kick-Ass (Aaron Strong, Nicholas Cage)
• The Ghost Writer (Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan)
• To Save a Life (Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg)
• A Prophet (France)
• After.Life (Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson)
• Blood Done Sign My Name (Michael Rooker, Omar Benson Miller)