Pride and Glory

Released: 2008

MPAA rating: R

Run time: 2:10

"Pride and Glory" explores, on many levels, the lines that may be crossed in the name of family, whether that family is biological or the brotherhood of the badge. Edward Norton plays Ray Tierney, a cop holding down a desk job after an incident (which is mostly only hinted at). He has a knack for investigation and is asked to get involved when there is a shooting where 4 officers were gunned down in an apparent ambush. Tierney has a brother (Noah Emmerich) who is a lieutenant in the precinct involved and his brother-in-law, Jimmy Eagan (Colin Farrell), who was in charge of the squad involved, but was not present. To further complicate matters, his father (Jon Voight) is a retired Chief who believes passionately in the code of silence to protect the badge. Ray finds himself knee-deep in a case that just gets dirtier and dirtier as the film goes on and he finds himself trying to balance his loyalty to his family with his unflappable tendency to do the right thing. The film was very well-written with very authentic police lingo to make you feel like you are really inside the inner workings of the department. There are some plot deficiencies (example right off the bat: Would Ray be in charge of the investigation with so many of his family members potentially involved??), but the story was very entertaining and the acting was very good. I really can't think of a movie where Edward Norton was not great. This one is no different. Colin Farell also does a nice job as a dirty cop who will do whatever it takes to cover up his actions. Jon Voight is good, as always, but he tends to be settling in to playing pretty much the same part in every movie.

Grade: B

Trailer:

The Killing Room

Released: 2009

MPAA rating: R

Run time: 1:33

A straight-to-DVD movie is not usually a good sign. Despite that bias, I decided to give "The Killing Room" a shot as the plot looked promising. I love a good psychological drama now and again ("Seven" probably being the high-water mark in that area). Another intriguing draw for this film was the cast. It is a mix of some solid veteran actors (Peter Stormare, Timothy Hutton) and some unknowns and newcomers (Nick Cannon? Clea Duvall). The premise is this: Ms. Reilly (Chloe Sevigny) is being recruited to join a top secret psychological testing program headed by Dr. Phillips (Peter Stormare). When she arrives, the study is already in progress and she watches some video to catch up. We watch along with her as 4 strangers (Nick Cannon, Clea Duvall, Timothy Hutton and Shea Wingham) are brought into a room as paid volunteers for a psychological study. What they don't know is that the study is designed that only one of them will ever leave the room. As the movie goes along, they realize this is no ordinary study and begin to try to find ways to survive. The plot is somewhat reminiscent of "Saw", but on a more realistic scale (well, for the most part). For three quarters of the film, you have a pretty compelling psychological drama, but when the big reveal happens as to what this study is really for, the film loses all credibility. The actual purpose makes no sense on so many levels. I am actually tempted to reveal the twist here just to spend some time discussing why I hated it so much, but I will keep this spoiler-free. What we are left with is an OK movie that could have been so much better. On a side-note, for a decent straight-to-video psychological drama, check out "Unknown" which was much better!

Grade: C-

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Imagine That

Released: 2009

MPAA rating: PG

Run time: 1:47

When I first saw the trailers for "Imagine That", it seemed like a rip-off of Adam Sandler's "Bedtime Stories", even through they were pretty much made at the same time. The basic storyline is sort of similar: Evan Danielsen (Eddie Murphy) is a successful financial executive who, despite his success, has new-t0-the firm hot shot Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church) chomping at his heels. The stress of this pressure and his parental responsibilities is getting to him when he discovers his daughter's (Nicole Ari Parker) drawings contain incredibly accurate information about upcoming financial news. As he leverages this information to get his reputation back, the question becomes: Does he love his daughter or is she just another investment tool? Murphy has become rather good at the family film thing, although many of his facial expressions and comedy are becoming a bit tired. Having said that, there were times in this film that I was begging for Murphy to do some more R-rated adult comedy that made him big in the first place. If you haven't figured this out yet, Thomas Haden Church's character is an American Indian. He speaks in allegory and legend when dispensing his wisdom. Although I am a fan of Church and he is not bad in this film, his being cast as an American Indian character is distracting at best. At worst, the character becomes an awful stereotype, which is sort of out of place in a family comedy. Despite not having high hopes going in, however, the movie was not all bad. It was funny at times and very warm at others. It was not quite as good as "Bedtime Stories", but it was not the "rip-off" I thought it would be, either.

Grade: C

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Disneynature's Earth

Released: 2007

MPAA rating: G

Run time: 1:30

"Earth" is a documentary film originally produced by the BBC which follows the planet Earth over the space of the year through the stories of animal families around the globe and how they try to protect their young. Visually, the film is simply amazing to watch. It really made me wish I had HD and Blu-Ray so I could truly experience the stunning visuals (OK, the truth is I feel that way EVERY time I watch a movie...or a football game...heck, anything!!) . With narration by James Earl Jones, the film also uses different music cues to tell layered stories, moving from comedy to drama to suspense and tragedy throughout the course of the movie. Of course, there are the requisite animal chases and there is one really intense sequence with a desperately hungry polar bear trying to get at a group of walruses. It is pretty cool to see the walruses show you what those tusks are for. As this is a rated "G" family film, the animal confrontations and captures are bloodless and not overly graphic. We found it to be informative and entertaining and a nice movie night for the family.

Grade: B+

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Observe and Report

Released: 2009

MPAA rating: R

Run time: 1:26

Lots of people rip "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" for being too bland, too vanilla, too kid-friendly. Personally, I laughed a lot at "Paul Blart: Mall Cop", but I was also intrigued at a more adult-oriented take on the same theme when I saw trailers for "Observe and Report". Well, from where I sit, the "hack, kiddie" version was far better than this movie. Seth Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a mall security guard who thinks he is so much more. When a flasher is stalking the mall parking lot, he is determined to be the one to solve the case, which puts him in direct competition with Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta). He is also trying to impress cosmetics counter girl Brandi (Anna Faris). Much like "Paul Blart", he manages to get one date with her, which does not go well. (Side note: How does Seth Rogen manage to always do love scenes with co-stars who insist on keeping their bra on?) The movie just doesn't hit the mark comedically. For the first two-thirds, I think I maybe laughed once. The final third has some good comedic moments, but by that time, it's too little, too late. I have also noticed that, although she is funny herself, Anna Faris often finds herself in the worst comedy movies (most of the "Scary Movie" series, for example). Even a pretty good performance by Patton Oswalt doesn't save the movie. In fact, he probably should have been given a bigger part. So, if you're looking for a funny mall security movie, make it "Paul Blart: Mall Cop". I wanted to like this one better, it was just not to be.

Grade: D+

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Adventureland

Released: 2009

MPAA rating: R

Run time: 1:47

The original appeal of "Adventureland" was two-fold. First, the writer/director worked at Adventureland here on Long Island in his youth and this film was based on that experience. Second, there are some really solid comedy cast members including Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Ryan Reynolds. It was surprising to find that these "names" were really just supporting characters in a summer romance film. It was also surprising to see that this worked beautifully. Although "Adventureland" is a comedy and is certainly funny at times, it is also a very good coming of age story. James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) needs money for college, so he takes a summer job at the local amusement park, where he meets Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart of "Twilight" fame). He becomes smitten with her pretty quickly and the movie follows their developing romance/friendship over the course of the park's season. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader provide comic relief as the couple who own the park and Ryan Reynolds helps fuel the story as the maintenance guy whose legend is that he "once played with Lou Reed". Eisenberg has the challenging job of carrying this movie as an unknown and pulls it off beautifully. He has a speaking cadence that is a combination of Woody Allen and Ben Stiller and definitely has you rooting for him. It is a warm, funny movie that sort of reminded me of "Say Anything". The only point of confusion for me was when Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" played half way through the film, I thought that meant the movie was ending (I know, MAYBE one of my readers will get that reference).

Grade: B

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Fast and Furious

Basically, the "Fast and the Furious" series is eye-candy for motorheads. Fast cars, fast women, tough guys, it's all there. What is lacking is any sort of substance. I'm not even sure why I decided to check this one out since the original was sort of a mediocre rip-off of "Point Break". It's probably because I haven't quite given up on Vin Diesel, who is more talented than his resume would indicate. In any event, this movie is exactly as advertised: a Reunion of sorts of the orginal "The Fast and the Furious" cast. The "big get" here is the return of Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, who has been on the run since the first film. His desire to avenge the death of a loved one forces his return and he and FBI agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) find themselves in a race to bring down the drug kingpin responsible. That's it, folks, that's the plot. Sprinkle in some car race and chase sequences and you have yourselves a movie. Visually, it's fun to watch, although they make the odd choice of having some of the major set pieces filmed in the dark (not just at night, but inside a mountain), making even those scenes difficult to enjoy. The opening pre-credit sequence was pretty amazing and, yet, they showed most of it in the trailer, taking away its impact and "wow" factor. Of course, trailers ruining movies is another whole discussion and is a rampant problem these days! Diesel is exactly what you would expect, the cool and collected tough guy who never shows any fear as he tries to rise through the cartel's ranks. Walker is his opposite: intense, emotional and somewhat explosive. There is a story here, but the requirement to fit street racing (can I say shoehorn?) into the plot becomes a distraction. Unless you're a Diesel fan or really enjoy meaningless car chases, I can't really recommend this one.

Grade: D+

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