Ed's Review Dot Com

Stage 6 Films, RCR Media Group, March On Productions,

Cuba Gooding Jr., Cole Hauser, Jonathan LaPaglia, Ginny Weirick, Drew Waters, Sean Cook, Michael Papajohn, J.P. O’Shaughnessy, David Andriole, Matt Beckham, Brandon O’Neill, Holt Boggs

Allen Campbell (Cole Hauser) is having the worst day of his entire life. It starts when he misses the promotion that he is entitled to and has been promised for a young upstart who doesn’t deserve it. Then he gets home early to find his wife in the bedroom with his best friend. So he heads to the bar in the middle of the afternoon to try to drink the bar dry of Jack Daniels when he tries to start a conversation with a silent man named Jonas Arbor, (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who is a somewhat retired professional hit man. Jonas is not in the mood but when Alan makes a comment about feeling like a human punching bag, Jonas decides to talk to him. They set out on a theoretical list of the 5 people Allan would like to see dead. Allan see’s it as a game, and plays along, but when people on the list start dying in order, Detective McKay (Jonathan LaPaglia is quite suspicious and Allan’s alibi is so far fetched and everything points to him.

This is a surprising cat and mouse story. Very Alfred Hitchcockish…this film is no doubt one you missed, and a hidden gem that ought to be taken out and given another look. All the evidence points to Allan, yet we know it’s not his fault, but on the other hand, maybe he is to blame. Suddenly he wishes he never made the damn list! This is truly suspenseful, and surprisingly Cuba Gooding carries the heavy weight and deep dark secrets and surprises until he lets us know the truth at the right moments. This is a roller coaster ride, and we all feel completely out of control along with Alan as his world implodes all around him and try his damnedest he’s unable to put a halt to it.

This film gathered cobwebs until it was just released on DVD, and gosh, I hope people give it a chance, as it’s way better than I could have ever guessed. This is not the Cuba Gooding from “Snow Dogs”, “Boat Trip” or the gosh awful “Norbit” but he plays this multi dimensional part evil, part desperate bad guy perfectly. I would never have cast him in a role this heavy, but he proves he can handle it 100%. I was impressed. There are so many facets of this film, and I am very certain if you take the opportunity to watch it, like me, you will be impressed with this quality of this hidden gem!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Universal Pictures, Anonymous Content, Working Title Films,

Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Vinessa Shaw, Stephen Root, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Rob Riggle, Michael Gaston, Tim Blake Nelson

Adam Carlson (John Krasinski)is a reporter who is stationed at the northernmost point in the US, at Point Barrow, Alaska wrapping up his filler pieces for the season and heading back to Anchorage. His dream is to get to somewhere in the lower 48. On the last day he heads out to shoot some footage and runs across a family of gray whales trapped in a tiny hole in the ice. If the hole fills in, they drown, but if they try to swim for it, it’s way to far to make it and they have no chance. Adam’s ex is Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) who’s a Greenpeace member and sets out to save the whales. Meanwhile J. W. McGraw (Ted Danson) is the head of a large oil company who is looking to grab all the oil rights in the area and has the exact tool, a large barge for ice breaking, which may save the whales. That is a huge PR win for his company. But attempting to save the whales is much more complicated than anyone can imagine.

This is a somewhat biased film to the extent that government is bad, businesses are bad, Alaskan native tribes are bad, but Greenpeace is good. That’s really all that keeps me from giving this a 5.0. Also, if there’s a weak link, I’m sorry to say, it must be Drew. She comes off as really whiny in this film. Not that the greenpeace folk aren’t whiny. But this doesn’t really put her in a good light, I’m afraid. Now John Krasinski did a really good job here. He’s put aside the cynical wise guy from Dunder-Mifflin and really did a good job here showing us his talent. The story is really touching and is quite hearwarming. There’s a lot of suspense, and it’s a long shot. This is based on a true story, but should not be treated as a documentary. It’s got a lot of “poetic license” and many people have criticized it for the changes to the actual events. But don’t look at this as a documentary. Look at it as a delightful family film about a bunch of nice people trying to save some doomed whales.

The look and feel of the coldest parts of the world above the arctic circle is awesome. This is wonderful to watch in the middle of July when it’s nearly 100 degrees outside. It helps the air conditioner a lot! It’s a beautiful film. I really enjoyed this film very much. I wish I had seen it in the theater, but I’m glad I finally got a chance to catch up with this movie. I highly recommend this film, It’s a winner. Be sure to gather the family together and watch this!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday July,24 2012

• Silent House
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi
• Footnote
• The Deep Blue Sea

Hi folks.

“Park’s closed. The moose out front should’ve told ya.”

I’m having some serious back pain today, and sitting in this old chair puts me into spasms in about 2 minutes. I have watched a ton of films, mostly new DVD releases and such, and few classics and newer stuff, but there’s no way I can do the review the way this back has been the last few days. So I’m going to call a little intermission. I’ll have lots more reviews coming up as soon as I can, but it the meantime, here’s a little jingle to bring back some old memories.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Ixtlan, Onda Entertainment, Relativity Media,

Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Trevor Donovan, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro, Emile Hirsch, Joel David Moore , Shea Whigham, Joaquín Cosio, Diego Cataño, Demián Bichir, Antonio Jaramillo, Jake McLaughlin, Alexander Wraith, Anthony Cutolo, Ali Wong, Sandra Echeverria

Three friends live in Laguna Beach and are living the life rolling in dough by growing and selling a particularly extraordinary strain of cannabis that was developed one one of the friends. Ben (Aaron Johnson) is the brains of the outfit and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) is the brawn. Chon is a former Navy Seal and a real bad ass. Ben is much quieter and wants to avoid trouble. Ophelia (Blake Lively) who calls herself “O” is the beauty and the lover of both boys. They think they lead the perfect life until a huge Mexican cartel led by Elena (Selma Hayek) and her thugs decide that the company has gotten big enough to take over and she decides to move North to take over the trio’s business. Trouble is bad cop Dennis (John Travolta) is on the take from both groups and figures there must be a big win for him either way. A huge drug war erupts and people are dropping like flies. Everyone has to determine what’s the most important thing for the other, and try to take it away in this violent and bloody R rated drug war!

This isn’t such a terrible story but director Oliver Stone surely managed to tear most of it out by the roots. There is so much bad acting in this film that’s it quickly turns absurd. This could have been done better in 1968 by Sergio Leone, I swear! This had the acting and script level of one of those Terrance Hill / Bud Spencer Trinity films (which I loved) without any of the humor.

First I’ll start with Blake Lively. She is lovely to look at, but she’s the narrator who starts off the film with a line something along the lines of “Just because I’m telling the story doesn’t mean I’m alive at the end of it.” The relationship of the 3 of them is also absurd. She needs one cause he’s gentle and one cause he’s rough, but what’s in it for the guys? Why not just admit from the start that they’re gay and it’s a better story. John Travolta as the dirty cop? Well, I like ole John Boy, but this was a farce of a performance in my opinion. Not bad, not good, and he yells his lines out like a kid in one of those acting classes their parents pay the big bucks for. The bad guys are cartoons. But they aren’t funny. Then they have to tack on a stupid ending that made me think I was watching the VHS version of the Clue movie with the 4 different endings. “This is what could have happened, but…..” It’s not exactly like that, but you get the drift. She has to redo the line about just because I’m telling the story doesn’t mean that I’m alive in the end…. Let’s hope not, ok?

All in all, they had a decent story to work with, and blew it all to hell with the melodramatic cardboard and cartoony acting that ruined it for me. I went in with high hopes and came out really disappointed with a “Is that all there is?” look on my face. Too bad it just didn’t work for me in the least.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog