Transporter 3

Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin, The Transporter who has a fairly tough assignment when he’s forced to transport the daughter of a Ukranian government official across Europe.  This time, Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) is the cargo, and with a bomb attached to the car and the detonator attached to Martin’s wrist, he has little option or opinion in the matter.  What ensues is a high octane ride through the European back country in which both characters continually learn more about each other as the ride goes on.  This action thriller is a great popcorn flick that caters to guys, (I will admit), but also packs a punch.  The martial arts action in this film is pretty amazing, and it didn’t hurt that Statham has some UFC background.  My analysis is below, here is the theatrical one-sheet from the film:

The theatrical one-sheet for The Transporter 3

Overall I thought the film delivered fairly well.  I really enjoyed the martial arts action in the show and the car stunts were also pretty cool.  Like I said, this film is a pretty good popcorn flick.  I wouldn’t necessarily spend full price on the film, but I still think it’s worth going to see in the theaters.  I give this film 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Quantum of Solace

Daniel Craig reprises his role as the James Bond in the latest installment of the franchise.  Along for the ride is new Bond girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko), and villain Dominic Green (Mathieu Amalric).  Quantum of Solace begins where the last Bond film, Casino Royal, left off.  Bond interrogates Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) in an attempt to track down whoever killed Bond’s lover Vesper.  What he finds is an organization that’s hell bent on controlling the worlds water supply, and Greene is at the top of the company’s chain.  This begins a chase around the world to such exotic locations as Haiti, Italy, and Austria.  Along the way, Bond is restricted by M (Judi Dench) who’s lost faith and trust in her “double 0″ and thinks that he’s only out to avenge is former lover.  To get to the bottom of the vicious worldwide operation, Bond must align himself with men who were once enimies.  And perhaps the hardest thing Bond must do, is forgive himself for loving Vesper.  My analysis is below, here is the theatrical one-sheet from the film:

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Quantum of Solace

Overall I thought this Bond film was pretty good, and I think that Daniel Craig brings Bond in to the 21st century with his youth and athleticism prominently displayed throughout the film.  Amalric does a great job portraying a villain who is truly off his rocker (he wields an axe and starts swinging at one point in the film), while Kurylenko plays an ever-sexy Bond girl.  There were a few things that I think that this Bond film lacked however, as it put the car chase before the opening credits.  Whatever happened to Bond having to use all the cool gadgets in his car during the chase scene.  Personally, I don’t like seeing a beautiful Aston Martin get destroyed without having seen it deal out some of it’s own destruction first.  Secondly, Bond and Camille share one kiss.  One.  Period.  I think that directors are starting to stray away from basic Bond elements that we are all accustomed to seeing, simply to put their own mark on the film.  I’d look for the next film to bring back “R,” the new techno genius who introduces Bond to his car, I also look for the next Bond girl to actually have relations with Bond the next time around.  Overall, I give this film 3 out of 5 stars.

Role Models

2008’s Role Models pairs The 40 Year-Old Virgin’s Paul Rudd with American Pie’s Sean William Scott.  Wheeler (Scott) and Danny (Rudd) are two guys struggling through life in a dead end job trying to sell teens their energy drink.  When Danny makes a mistake by cursing out a group of middle schoolers and driving his truck into a statue, Wheeler and Danny get sentenced to 150 hours of community service.  They are assigned to mentor two kids named Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson) and Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad).  Ronnie is a hellion with bad language and an even worse attitude, while Augie is a confused teenager who lives most of his life in a fantasy world.  At first, the foursome don’t get along with each other.  As the movie progresses, however, the comedic situations that these four characters face force them to learn about each other, while learning life lessons in the process.

This movie was a pretty funny comedy that utilized a lot of big names, both from the past, as well as the present.  I would, however, caution parents, because the Ronnie’s language is a bit questionable, and you mgiht want to think twice before taking the kids.  Overall, however, this movie delivered in a big way, and is one of the funniest movies to hit theaters this fall.  I give the film a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Pride and Glory

After watching director Gavin O’Conner’s new film Pride and Glory, I can now positively say that my favorite genre of film is the crime drama.  Pride and Glory centers around a multi-generational family of cops who work the 31st precinct of the NYPD; the gritty Washington Heights.  Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) is a good cop who caught some flack some time ago for protecting his family as opposed to doing the right thing.  Jimmy Egan (Colin Ferrall), Ray’s brother-in-law, however, is motivated by what some would call the root of all evil, money.  Ray’s brother Francis Tierney Jr (Noah Emmerich), is somewhere between the gradient of Jimmy and Ray, not a good cop, but a bad one who takes responsibility for his actions.  The film centers around Ray and his effort to try to find the perpetrator who killed four cops.  As the story unfolds, the evidence continually points to Ray’s brother Francis, and Ray’s brother-in-law Jimmy.  To make matters worse, Ray is under pressure from his father Francis Tierney Sr. (John Voight) to keep the incriminating evidence under wraps.  Ray must find a way to appease his father, yet still feel the satisfaction of doing the right thing.  As the tension builds, a shocking conclusion unfolds.  My analysis is below, here is the theatrical one-sheet from the film:

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Pride and Glory

I really thought this film was excellent.  Edward Norton and Colin Ferrall did a great job portraying the moral dilemma of family vs. the truth, which is what this film was really all about.  A word of caution though, the script for this film tries in the best way possible to depict the gritty day’s work of an NYPD cop in Washington Heights.  To put it bluntly, there are only a handful of lines without the f-bomb inserted at some point in the line.  If you’re thinking about taking the kids, you probably don’t want to, and I would even caution the parents of tweeners who want to see the film.  The film is rated R for a good reason, and language is not the only reason.  Still, this film really delivers, and it’s one that I’ll be looking to own it when it arrives on DVD.  I give this film a 4.7 out of 5 stars, a must see this fall.