Ed's Review Dot Com

The Exchange,

Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Andy Garcia, Ray Romano, Griffin Dunne, Burt Young, Cathy Moriarty, Michael Rispoli, Luke Fava, Frank Whaley, Samira Wiley

Tommy Uva (Michael Pitt) is a thug. He’s sent to jail while his girlfriend Rosiife (Nina Arianda) waits for him to get out. Tommy is convinced he wants to go straight, but he just can’t seem to get into the whole work thing. When he overhears a mafia kingpin speaking at his trial say that Mafia guys don’t bring guns to the clubs because “Wiseguys and guns don’t mix”, Tommy hatches the idea of robbing the mafia and having Rosie drive his getaway car, but when the accidentally stumble into a piece of evidence that everybody wants, suddenly no only is mob after him, but the Police and the FBI, and even a reporter trying to get the story. A modern day Bonnie and Clyde, this is based on actual events.

This movie is rather over the top clever, very interesting, and lots of fun. These two are so gangster it’s hysterical. They have no chance at pulling this off because they are so dumb, yet the do manage it pretty well. Michael Pitt is awesome as Tommy and Nina Arianda does a great job playing the “not too bright” but supportive Rosie. They fight, but support each other, and most of all, they pull of a lot of stuff that most professional criminals couldn’t. I’m not sure how accurate this is to the original material, but they real Tommy and Rosie appear during the closing credits. This movie has a lot of action, and the way the mobster’s react to a kid robbing the most powerful criminals in the world is pretty funny. This is a crime story with a lot going for it. The fact that it’s based on a true story makes it even more incredible. This is a very funny story and one that will keep you glued to the screen throughout. Very well done.

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Little Magic Films, Automatik Entertainment, IM Global,

Mark Webber, Rutina Wesley, Devon Graye, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Tom Bower, Ron Perlman, Christopher Berry, Stephanie Honore

Elliott Brindle (Mark Webber) is a salesman, who is really having a rough streak. Things are falling apart every which way, and he’s badly in need of cash, fast. To top it off, he’s planning on getting married and is in the hole financially. Strangely, a phone call comes through his cell phone telling him he is selected to play a game and the top prize after 13 tasks are completed is a million dollars. The first couple tasks are not hard, so he is pulled into this strange game which turns very serious in a hurry. If he quits the game he loses everything he has earned, but furthermore will definitely be arrested, but if he goes on with the game they will have all the charges “go away”. Once he’s in, it’s hard to get out, and it doesn’t take very long for him to see he made a very stupid choice.

I should not have liked this movie. Certainly the idea is really far fetched. These people, whoever they are, know where he is every moment and can see his every move. How does that happen?
There are logic holes all over the place. But this is not to be taken as a literal happening. It’s a story to make you think about what you would be willing to do. How far would you go. The story is very clever. I haven’t seen these kind of challenges before. It’s like “Deal With It” on steroids. Mark Webber does a great job as Elliott and whoever the voice on the phone is, he does a perfect job coming off as an arrogant snob who has no morals and no shame. Each of the “levels” are very clever, and we are pulled into the story. It’s a small movie, not much budget, independently done, but very well crafted. The story is very fresh, born out of reality TV of today, although this is private game and not blamed on the media. This movie is very far off the scope of most people, and one that is very cleverly done and deserves some attention. You have to recognize that it’s allegorical and not literal, and you’ll enjoy it and find yourself talking about it for a while to come. What would you do?

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Polsky Films,

Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning, Kris Kristofferson, Joshua Leonard, Noah Harpster, Garrett Backstrom, Andrew Lee, Nancy Youngblut, Jenica Bergere, Oren Skoog

Frank Lee (Emile Hirsch) and Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff) are brothers. They swear an oath to their dying mother that they will stick together and take care of each other, so when one brother accidentally kills someone in a hit and run accident and completely freaks out, the brothers take to the road and hide out from the cops, try to score some cash, and basically waste their lives without a care or a clue.

Sometimes when you watch the new releases and find the obscure movies that no one has ever heard of, you find a hidden gem. This is not one of those. I guess it makes sense when you’re searching for gold occasionally you’re going to find a bad one. This film has it’s cult following. The actors are not all that bad, but the story is pointless and doesn’t go anywhere. These guys must be stupider than the Dumb and Dumber guys. Dakota Fanning is back in this proving that she can still get a movie, even if it’s an awful one. I don’t know what has happened to Kris Krisofferson. He just randomly appears every now in then in a small role in a forgotten picture, I guess to let us know he’s still alive. It’s like every now and then he wakes up on a random morning and thinks it’s time to make another movie, then drives over to the studio and asks, “What are you guys making today?”. I have no idea why he’s in this picture. Nothing to see here, folks. Just move along. What a waste of time. Don’t bother with this clunker.

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Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, Spondoolie Productions, Rob Thomas Productions,

Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Chris Lowell, Percy Daggs III, Tina Majorino

Years have passed and Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) has given up, at her Father’s insistence, the role of junior detective. She’s returned home for her high school reunion when her ex, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) is arrested for a crime by the local police. Veronica knows she has to help him, and the cops seem to think it’s an open and shut case, so she jumps back into her familiar “private eye” mode and sets out to prove he’s innocent, whatever the cost.

Apparently Veronica Mars was a short lived TV series that built up a large collection of cult followers. This movie is obviously made for them, and I think they appreciate it very much. As for me, I’ve seen lots of the kid detective movies and TV shows from Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew through the newer versions and all the way through the Spy Kids movies which are fun for kids but hard for grown ups to swallow. This is a rather ho-hum story. There’s not much going on, and what does if pretty bland. Kristen Bell, though a pretty actress, didn’t give me any sense of urgency or danger here. I can appreciate her efforts to right the wrong and free her ex boyfriend, but so what? There’s lots of people in trouble out there, and it’s natural to believe in and want to help people who you know and are friends. I assume that much too much effort went in to paying homage to the original TV show, which I admittedly have never seen, and there wasn’t enough left for story and plot. I would say, if you’re a big Veronica fan, for heaven’s sake, go out and watch this. Why haven’t you seen it yet? However if you’re looking for a private eye mystery story with a lot of meat, this isn’t it. I didn’t feel like it was really worth the effort if you’re not into the characters.

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Crime Scene Pictures, ArtPhyl, FilmNation Entertainment,

Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Cloris Leachman, Tom Courtenay, Anna Skellern, Senem Temiz, Togo Igawa, Sarah Goldberg

Harry Deane (Colin Firth) is the underappreciated, overworked, and mistreated art curator in London who would love to get back at his boss. He is an expert in art, and knows the best forger in the business. He sets out on a plan to sell a fake Monet to a rich businessman, and hires an assistant, sassy and sexy rodeo queen PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz) to help him pull off the perfect crime. But she is not turning out to be very trustworthy and step by step Harry’s plan goes further and further off the rails in this funny crime drama remake of the 1966 film with Michael Caine and Shirley Maclain.

This is a very “Sting” like film with double cross after triple cross after quadruple cross. The art aspect of the story reminds me a lot of the latest Mr. Bean comedies but Harry as not nearly an inept as Mr. Bean. In fact, Harry’s pretty clever, but the people he chooses to trust seem to let him down time after time. This film is pretty clever, and has a number of twists to keep you guessing how it’s going to end up. It’s clever and witty, and the mix of cultured Brit Harry matching wits with crass Texan PJ is really funny. There are a few other smaller characters in the film too that add a lot to it. It’s fast paced, and has a lot going for it. It’s not boring. However, this movie doesn’t have what it takes to make it big in the mainstream. Perhaps it’s a little too uppity for everyman, or it’s not got tons of exciting and suspenseful chases. It’s much more cerebral. But it’s a good story, and it’s been so long since the original that it’s hard to compare the two. This will not be a must see, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with killing a little time with this film. I did enjoy the pace of the story and the clever script, and I think both Colin and Cameron brought a lot to their parts and played well together. I really did enjoy this movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog