Ed's Review Dot Com

Summit Entertainment, Exclusive Media Group, Participant Media,

Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Michael Kenneth Williams, Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, Rafi Gavron, David Harbour, Benjamin Bratt, Susan Sarandon

John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson)’s son was setup in a stupid drug deal, but due to changes in the law, he’s on the hook for a massive sentence unless he helps to setup one of his friends in the same way he was setup. He’s got more character than that, so John is stuck setting out to risk his own life to setup and snag a cartel leader, setting off on a risky plan that could lose everything.

This is a slam-bam adventure story full of chases and and crashes, lots of gunfire, and edge of your seat excitement. This is the type of film The Rock was born to play in. But the basic premise here is pretty far out. I had a hard time buying the whole premise that the justice department’s hands are so tied, that they can’t do anything but hand down a 10 year sentence to an obviously innocent boy. I also found it hard to believe that The Rock would be able to set out and bring down a whole Mexican drug cartel single handed, and that would be the ticket to get his son off. But the action is acceptable, and if you’re a fan of bang-bang action flicks, this is just as good as the next one. The story just didn’t strike me as particularly original, and it was pretty ho-hum for me. I was not bored, and did stay with the whole movie, but it was not very memorable. I’ve seen a lot better. Though not as awful at “Tooth Fairy”, it’s not that great either. So if you’re looking for a typical action film with lots of escape even though it doesn’t make a lot of sense, then this is a decent rental. But for the most part, it’s hardly worth the effort.

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Langley Park Productions, Lin Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures,

Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, Holt McCallany, Robert Patrick, Mireille Enos

Mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has taken over Los Angeles in this 1940′s crime drama. As it seems Mickey has bought out everyone from cops to judges to senators, two dedicated LAPD Sergeants put together a secret band of cops to try to take him down. Knowing Mickey can have them sacked from the force, disgraced, or even killed, their only hope is to take him down before he has a chance to put an end to them.

This based on the real story of the early days of organized crime in L.A. and the brave policemen who tried to put an end to the reign of terror of those who held the city hostage in their quest for power and control and all the money in the city. Very well done, with a bunch of really great talent, this is a fairly decent cops and robbers films like the days of old. With all the talent in this project, it just couldn’t suck, and it doesn’t. It didn’t however, blow my socks off, as I guess I’m just not really a fan of organized crime dramas like this. I loved the Godfather films, but those are so complete that nothing much can compare to those stories. But this is typical Saturday afternoon matinee stuff like the Untouchables and dozens of other films of that genre. This is pretty good in that genre, and if you’re a fan of those kinds of stories, this is a really good one. It has a perfect old film, but with modern equipment and technology and great acting. So I don’t want to discourage anyone from watching this who is interested in this type of film, but my rating is not real high, as for me, I’m just not into these kinds of stories. As far as I can tell, it’s rather as historically accurate as possible in this kind of story, and it does cut to the chase pretty quickly and has a lot of action and suspense. So make your own choice, as you probably will really enjoy this if this is your kind of story.

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Daybreak Pictures, Film Four, Free Range Films,

Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Colman, Samuel West, Elizabeth Marvel, Elizabeth Wilson, Eleanor Bron, Olivia Williams

In the 1930′s, President Franklin D Roosevelt (Bill Murray) was reunited with his distant cousin Margaret “Daisy” Suckley (Laura Linney) who were very close. Rumor had it that she was his mistress. Meanwhile the King and Queen of England have arrived for a visit and to request FDR’s support for the coming war in Europe. At first Bertie and Elizabeth think perhaps the Americans are making fun of them, but as time passes, they begin to feel at lot more welcome. This is a close look into the life and times of FDR, his human side, and the troubles he faced.

It was nice to Bill Murray take on a role like this. When playing a character so familiar in people’s minds, it’s difficult to nail it. Bill doesn’t quite “nail it” but he does a decent job. I have seen a lot of other actors take on FDR, usually in a small part of a bigger picture, but Murray has to play him though nearly every moment of the movie. Well, he certainly is taking a lot of flack about it, and I think that’s unfair, as he did a pretty decent job, and I am impressed at his skill. But the story, those barely interesting, is not a grabber. There is no great events happening here, just a week in the life of the President and the King. I think this would be fairly interesting after watching The King’s Speech, as it does give us a bit more insight into King George than it does to FDR I suspect. But it is a decent investigation into the difference between the British Monarchy and our American President. If the USA was to ever have a dictator, it probably would have been FDR.

I can’t outright recommend this film for everyone, as it’s certainly very dry through most of it, and if you’re not interested in the historical value, you’ll probably find it really boring. On the other hand, if you’re a history buff, want more background on The King’s Speech, or interested in life in the 30′s, it’s a pretty good view into that period. I’m split down the middle on this one.

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Mandalay Vision, Wind Dancer Productions, Detour Filmproduction,

Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux, Rick Dial,

Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) is a small Texas town mortician who is a very friendly guy. He makes friends with everyone with his mild and gentle demeanor, but especially the elderly ladies who flock to him. But he strikes up a close friendship with a mean old lonely widow who is the richest lady in town, and one whom everyone either hates or fears. But when she turns up missing, the sheriff (Matthew McConaughey) has his eyes on Bernie, but no one in town would believe anything but the very best of good old Bernie.

This is a very dark comedy, but done is a very light way. This is based on a true story, and just like all the townsfolk who can’t believe anything bad about Bernie, even though we know the truth, we can’t accept it either, and we keep waiting for the surprise ending to come. In the end, I guess it is a surprise at that. But this is done in the mockumentary style of so many other great jokester films, but yet it’s supposedly “mostly” true. The characters in this film are really good, and I think I’ve enjoyed Shirley MacLaine more in this film than I have in any of her films in a long time. She is really mean and funny at the same time. She does a great job and really shows her skills. The movie is really funny in a dark and twisted way, and not so much laugh out loud funny, but it runs at a high level of humor all the way through from start to finish. Even the discussion from the townsfolk as to whether Bernie is gay or not is never resolved and both sides have a good argument. Also good is Marjorie Nugent’s (Shirley MacLaine’s character) stock broker who is hilarious. He’s the most concerned about poor old Marjorie, but everyone simply believes he’s mad because he can’t get his hands on any more of her money now that she only trusts Bernie. That’s probably true. Available as a “Watch Instantly” film on NetFlix, this was a very pleasant surprise for me. I had no clue what to expect, but with the cast, I was willing to take a chance on it. I was really glad I did.

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Dos Corazones Films, NewLand Films,

Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Santiago Cabrera, Eva Longoria, Peter O’Toole

This historical movie is the story of the reign of President Calles in the late 1920′s in Mexico where he instituted a vicious ban on Catholicism. What followed is known as the Cristeros War (1926-1929) where the people rose up and fought against the atheistic government. Knowing they were severely outnumbered, they were able to convince retired general Enrique Gorostieta (Andy Garcia) to join them in the fight.

This was a very interesting film. It was actually pretty well done, and was certainly able to grab my attention and hold it throughout the whole movie. It was a story that I was not familiar with at all, and I was surprised that I had never heard of this particular war. As with any historical film, of course, there is a lot of debate over what is true history and what is poetic license. I’m not in a position to judge that, so I am taking the story as a movie that covers historical events, with a few liberties here and there I’m sure. Still, the story is good, and the acting is very good. It is a bit odd to have a film set in Mexico starring a lot of Mexican actors that is completely in English, but I guess many historical films have gone that route. Peter O’Toole has a very important but minor role as a priest who stands up for the church and refuses to bend to the restrictions placed upon it by the government. This story reminds me of movies from many years ago specifically 1964′s Becket, which also starred Peter O’Toole along with Richard Burton. The movie really reminded me of that, probably due to the O’Toole connection. Though there are bound to be many critics specifically hating on the religious persecution focus of the film, I really enjoyed this. I was able to stream this from Netflix “Watch Instantly” and it made for a very enjoyable afternoon watching a movie like movies used to be made. I found it very enjoyable.

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