Shutter

Released: 2008
MPAA rating: PG-13
Run time: 1:30

"Shutter" is an American remake of a Thai horror film which follows the Japanese horror blueprint pretty closely.   "Shutter" is the story of Ben and Jane Shaw (Joshua Jackson of "Fringe" and Rachael Taylor), a newly married couple who go to Japan for Ben's photography business. Early in the trip, they are involved in a car accident. Later, while they are taking pictures on the trip, they begin to see strange, smoky streaks on the prints.  Ben is wondering if there is some sort of damage to the camera from the accident, but Jane begins to see ghosts, so she believes the pictures may be connected to their auto accident in a much different way.  Ben, of course, thinks she is losing her mind.  (Doesn't the husband always think that in horror movies??).  It isn't until Ben starts getting visited does he begin to listen to her.  They consult the requisite spirit/ghost experts, but get nowhere.  They just can't figure out what this ghost wants or why it is following them.  As they continue to try to figure things out, it becomes more desperate when people they know start to die.  Some of the spiritual visuals are very reminiscent of "The Grudge" and "The Ring" and are pretty creepy.  While being sort of scary, especially for a PG-13 film, it is also an interesting story line featuring a decent plot twist near the end as the identity of the ghost and it's motivations are revealed.   The effects are well-done, making for an enjoyable movie overall.  I won't say I loved it, but its pacing and story kept me involved right to the end.


Grade: C+


Trailer:

The International

Released: 2009
MPAA rating: R
Run time: 1:58

"The IBBC is a bank. Their objective isn't to control the conflict, it's to control the debt that the conflict produces. You see, the real value of a conflict, the true value, is in the debt that it creates. You control the debt, you control everything. You find this upsetting, yes? But this is the very essence of the banking industry, to make us all, whether we be nations or individuals, slaves to debt."

The above quote from one of the characters in the film made this movie almost a little too realistic for me! The general plot involves an international bank which will stop at nothing to get its profitable agenda done. Clive Owen plays Louis Salinger, an Interpol agent who is working on an arms dealing case, which he finds involves the IBBC, a major international bank. As he looks deeper into it, with the help of NY ADA Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), he finds the bank is much more than a bank, it is a group of financiers manipulating world events to generate large profits. While the conspiracy element of the plot is a little far-fetched, the ruthlessness and inhumanity of the banking system is all too real. The movie itself is entertaining with solid performances and decent writing. Some of the plot points were taken wholly from previous films. The most glaring one was when the bank is having trouble making a deal with a family-owned technology company, they decide to take out the father, since the sons seem more amenable to the deal. This is pretty much exactly the same in "The Godfather", although that may have been intentional to compare the bank to an organized crime family. There were some action set pieces, the best of which was a shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum. The only problem with that scene was that it went on far too long before even a single police car arrived at the scene. This is a pretty decent thriller that is eerily reminiscent of the way the banking industry is behaving in today's headlines!

Grade: B


Trailer: 

Revolutionary Road

Released: 2008

MPAA rating: R

Run time: 1:59

Director Sam Mendes, who also directed "American Beauty", clearly is no fan of suburbia. "Revolutionary Road", based on a novel by Richard Yates, explores the relationship of Frank and April Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet), the "dream couple" with the nice house in the suburbs. Underneath the facade of a successful man and his loving wife is a deep dark underbelly of frustration, disappointment and the death of one's dreams. As the movie opens, we get the cliche of eyes meeting across a crowded room and love at first sight. Some other scenes set up the whirlwind romance leading to the perfect couple buying a house on the perfect street, Revolutionary Road. It does not take long for the cracks to appear as April realizes she never realized her dream to become an actress and Frank is also making a living, but not doing what he wants to do. She devises a plan for them to start all over and move to France where they can pursue their dreams. As they work toward that goal, a wrinkle is thrown into their plans and they disagree on how to proceed. This sets the stage for an examination into the dark side of suburbia, where responsibility to one's family comes in contrast to living your life the way you wanted. Interestingly, the only character who speaks plainly and directly in the whole film is a man who was recently released from a mental institution, begging the question: Who really IS crazy?? This is a dark movie that just about any of us can relate to one some level. Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant in this role as the perfect man trying to be the perfect husband and father and never quite getting anything right. Winslet is also terrific as the torn housewife who just cannot let go of her dreams and is having trouble adapting to the white picket fence life. While being a bit melodramatic at times, it is scary how there is enough here for any one of us suburbanites to relate to on some level. This is a well-written, well-directed, well-acted tragic story. It may depress you, but it is compelling and worth a watch!

Grade: A

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The Taking of Pelham 123

Released: 2009

MPAA rating: R

Run time: 1:46

My first mistake was to watch the original version of this earlier in the year. The original was a solid tense drama with Robert Shaw as the cold-as-ice villain. While I will not rip Travolta, his villains tend to be more over-the-top and manic. His performance was fine and I think it was what was called for in this version, but Shaw was so much better. The problem, right off the bat, with this version is it was all style over substance. As soon as the movie begins, there is a "stutter-style" of the visuals with a rap soundtrack playing over the opening titles, which sets the stage that this will be a "cool movie". Denzel Washington and John Travolta do their part, but the writing is a bit off, which is odd, considering they had great source material to start with. They actually over-wrote this thing, adding backstories to the main characters that weren't there before. In Travolta's case, he is supposed to be some Wall Street cheat out of prison, but Wall Street types would not be so tattooed and "bad ass". His character is also more than comfortable with referring to an Italian character as a "greaseball" multiple times, but yet uses no ethnic slurs on any other group! This was not an awful movie and if you didn't see the original, you might actually enjoy it. Travolta and Denzel make it somewhat enjoyable, but I could not help but be disappointed.

Grade: C-

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