Callum Keith Rennie, Scott Speedman, Aidan Devine, Patricia Clarkson, Tim Roth
Helen Matthews (Patricia Clarkson) is shattered by the sudden accidental death of her husband. The couple owned a remote cabin on an island, only accessible by boat, and she decides to head to the cabin to be alone and to put the pieces of her life back together far away from everyone. But shortly after she arrives, a young man, William (Scott Speedman) arrives at her door in a pouring rainstorm and after seeing that he has been shot and is very weak and hungry, she invites him in for a meal and a chance to rest. But when she finds out that the men who shot him are on on his trail, and are coming to kill him and would not hesitate to kill her as well, they have to form a fragile alliance to try to survive the next day or two till the storm subsides and they can get their boat out of there. What follows is a suspenseful mystery.
This was an interesting film, a little unlike any I’ve seen before. This is a “lady alone way out in the woods” thriller but the interactions between the major characters (of which there are really only four) leads to a very suspenseful trip. Everyone of the characters has different motives, and it appears that they’re kind of forced into the role that they’re playing without much choice. It’s kill or be killed, and it is an edge of your seat thriller. The location is really perfect, and essentially the entire movie takes place in the beautiful little cabin on the water, in the nearby forest, and in the boat house. It doesn’t take a huge set to make a very scary story. This is certainly a beautiful location. Then, did I mention the suspense? Crazy. The story is well crafted and unfolds one piece at a time so that you’re not sure who’s really at fault here. I thought this was a worthwhile story, and one I can recommend.
Columbia Pictures, Regency Enterprises, LStar Capital,
Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Alec Baldwin
Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) is a contractor for the military who has had some rough times and lost his all-star reputation, but he’s assigned to go to Hawaii to negotiate with the local tribe leader who happens to be an old college buddy of his to trade some land for a project the military is working on with Carson Welch (Bill Murray). His problem is that his old love Tracy (Rachel McAdams) lives with her soldier husband (John Krasinski) which is a big distraction for him. But worse is that a go-getter young Air Force member Allison Ng (Emma Stone) is assigned to be his assistant, but is really supposed to babysit him to keep him in line and to make sure he doesn’t screw up again.
This is mostly a comedy, but with strong relationship issues between Bradley Cooper’s character, and both women, Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone. The whole part about essentially stealing the land from his friend who trusted him leads to a lot of torment for him, and trying to choose between them both. This is an interesting film, and had it’s moments. The local Hawaiian culture is interesting, as is the interaction between the King and Brian. But if there is a flaw, it’s Emma Stone (who I really like) who is a bit too over the top, and Bradley Cooper (who I usually like too) who was really flat. It was just kind of strange, and it was really hard to get into the story. So it’s hard for me to go way out on a limb and tell you this is a must see, as it isn’t. But it’s interesting in a way, and worth watching if you are interested in the story. I feel very middle of the road on this movie, and it’s just one of those things that I kind of enjoyed, but not that much, if that makes any sense at all.
Helen Hunt, Luke Wilson, Brenton Thwaites, David Zayas, Callum Keith Rennie, Elizabeth Jayne
Angelo (Brention Thwaites) is a young man living in New York with a very overbearing Mom. Jackie (Helen Hunt) is Angelo’s single mom and she planning his life out for him and he’s smothering. Angelo decides to go to Los Angeles to visit his father, and while there finds a life that is loose and easy and he takes up surfing. He soon decides to cancel his enrollment for college and stay in L.A. which drives his Mom nuts. So she sneaks out to L.A. to spy on him and while there finds a lot about herself and how to let go of the ghosts that are haunting her life.
This is a film with many angles. First and foremost this is a great vehicle for Helen Hunt. She passes through a lot of emotions and challenges. Secondly, it’s a surf movie. Jackie is the kind of person who is a perfectionist and rather over confident. She’s used to succeeding but when she decides to learn to surf, she finds it quite a bit more challenging than she thought. It’s a quirky romance, as Jackie meets a surf instructor Ian (Luke Wilson) and learns to let loose a little bit. But mostly it’s a well put together little character study. Helen Hunt was really good, although it’s quite a different look and feel for her, she did an excellent job. It’s a thought provoking and moving piece of film. It’s typical indy film and has some flaws. Some of it seems dragged out quite a bit. It’s slow sometimes as well. I didn’t think this is a great movie, but it wasn’t too bad, and I did enjoy watching it. For those who like films with lots of character development and not too much action, it could be something that you might enjoy. So this is a half-hearted recommendation.
Robert Forster, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, Frances de la Tour, Pierce Brosnan, Milla Jovovich, James D’Arcy
A government worker, Kate Abbott (Milla Jovovich) is assigned to London to try to stop terrorists from getting to the US, but she finds herself in the middle of a huge plot to kill thousands of people in a major attack. As she struggles to figure out who is responsible and who is trustworthy, she is setup and is on the run from her own people as she is wanted for the murder of one of the other agents. But in the meantime she must try to figure out what the plan is and to thwart a major attack without being caught and arrested.
This is a pretty decent little espionage/terrorism movie with a lot of action and adventure. Once of the interesting aspects of this movie is that Pierce Brosnan gets to play a major bad guy here, and since it’s a very James Bondsian film, it’s ironic to see him as the terrorist trying to kill as many as possible. But he does a terrific job as an evil assassin and he pulls that off perfectly. Great casting decision. The story is pretty tight, and right out of the headlines. It’s highly believable, and is very well assembled. The cat and mouse chase of being wrongly suspected gives Milla a chance to keep us on the edge of our seats as she tries to stay one step ahead of her team, and still keep up with Brosnan and his crew. The action is breathtaking, and very exciting, and it’s a very well put together film. The settings are very interesting, and the final battle scene is very well placed and well timed. I could not find a place to purchase this DVD, but the movie is available on a number of streaming sites, and is well worth adding to your queue. It’s a very suspenseful adventure with loads of action and well worth looking for.
