The Green Zone

Starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear

I will be the first to admit that after seeing the preview for this movie and knowing that it Starred Damon and was helmed by the man that brought us 2 of the 3 Bourne Redundancy movies, I expected more of the same. Luckily that wasn't the case. If you can call this a factual account of the search for the WMD's in Iraq that lead to Saddam Hussein's eventual downfall, then that's what we get.
Damon is leading a team in Iraq to several empty locations that promised a cache of these so called weapons of mass destruction and after the 3rd strike, he gets a little upset. Our hero starts to ask questions that no one wants to hear, questions like "Who is our intel source?" And "Why does he suck?"
The only major difference between the look of this film and the other Bourne movies is that Damon gets his ass kicked a few times here and isn't nearly as cool as he thinks he is. We are however treated to the same style of camera work that frankly ruined the Bourne franchise for me. From out of focus shots to blurry and shaky hand held garbage, movies like this are an epileptics nightmare. I fully get that this so called "style" is used to put the viewer in the action and make it all the more realistic, but in that regard it simply doesn't work. I'm sorry but there is one scene that starts off out of focus and that doesn't make me think I'm right there in the thick of it all. It makes me think that you made a gigantic mistake.
All of my griping about the technical disaster here aside, the story is rather engaging. From the Iraqi's point of view to the average American soldier thinking that something just isn't quite right, we gain several perspectives as to the atmosphere of the time and the course of events that lead us to 7 years later still cleaning up the poorly run campaign/war that began with "Shock and Awe"
For war nerds and history buffs, this movie works. For the action fan, it works just as well. But for people that would rather watch a cleanly filmed and frankly better war movie such as The Hurt Locker, maybe you should skip this one.

Rating 2 lousy intel reports out of 5

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Cop Out

Starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan

Kevin Smith tries his hand at the old buddy cop formula here and well, 48 hrs it ain't.
That being said, there are some funny moments here and there from Tracy Morgans character who is pretty much just his 30 Rock persona only with a gun. Between the shouting of every punchline and zinger the more subtle lines end up being the best. Willis looks tired and perhaps that's warranted after having played a cop in at least a dozen films to date, but he manages to let Morgan do his thing and believe me, this isn't a Bruce Willis movie despite his top billing.
Now onto the little things that tick me off in movies like this. I know Kevin Smith doesn't have the biggest budget in the world but small things like the thugs having tattoos that look like an 8th grade art class drew and applied them just kinda bugs me. Sloppy oversights like no one wearing seat belts, cops or bad guys, just seems lazy. Also the over use of certain Latin bad guys is getting stale quickly. The head baddy here is played by Guillermo Diaz and you may recognize him as playing the Latin bad guy in The Shield, Weeds, Law And Order, E.R, The Sopranos or in other drug related movies like High School High, Half Baked and so on. WE GET IT!!!!! You are the only actor that can play a no good Latino. This sort of type casting makes me cringe.
Again, you get what you pay for I guess.
I did at least love the soundtrack with the film opening to the Beastie Boys No Sleep Til Brooklyn and keeping an old school flair with Run DMC and even a little Poison thrown in for good measure. The music fit nicely into every scene, especially the one with the bad guy Mexicans and Insane In The Brain (Spanish version) by Cypress Hill being the backdrop. Clever.
You will chuckle here if you like Tracy Morgan but he definitely isn't for everyone. All others, tread lightly.

Rating 2 movie quotes out of 5



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Sanchez rolls up the rim

Shutter Island

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo


They cant ALL be winners. The usually bankable Martin Scorcese takes us on what is supposed to be a psychological whodunit filled with twists and turns and creepy atmosphere. Well, the atmosphere part was nailed. The score and several haunting shots of the island do set the tone for what could have been a chilling character study. But ultimately the movie seems to just flop around from one intense interrogation scene to the next with almost zero pay off in the end.
You see the twist (if you can call it that) at about the one hour mark and you spend the next hour and a half hoping you were wrong. The photography was fantastic but there were some terrible short cuts taken as well. One in particular screamed out to me and it involves a lengthy ride in a jeep with Leo carrying on an inane conversation with the warden of the facility that he is investigating. The problem with this sequence is the awful use of a green screen and the Flintstone like background seemingly repeating itself again and again. Why not actually get in a jeep and drive for real? Just sloppy. The story is as weak as Leo's sometimes vacationing Boston accent and stuff like this really piles up by the time the final credits joyously arrive.
In short, this movie actually pissed me off. The droves of suckers that made it 40 million bucks in the opening weekend must all feel as duped as I did. We all had such high expectations what with the last time these two Hollywood titans teaming up and winning Oscars as a result (The Departed) and all.
Like I said to kick this off, they cant ALL be winners

Rating 1 pahshall Boston accent out of 5



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ONG BAK 2 The Beginning

Starring Tony Jaa and several awesome elephants


This uber prequel to the cult smash Ong Bak starring Tony Jaa takes place centuries before the first adventure began as we find our hero in the midst of more betrayals between families than the entire seasons of Dallas and Dynasty combined. War is everywhere and clans do battle with dozens of different styles and weapons, enter Tony Jaa who of course is a master of them all and what we get is a vividly rich and eye popping treat.
The scenery, sets, costumes and weapons are amazing to look at but if this entry in the series fails anywhere, its during its countless flashbacks and convoluted story lines. Lets be honest, Tony Jaa is a freak of nature when it comes to the next level of kung fu stars in the industry and that's what we want to see. I would have paid the same amount of money for a Blu-ray that simply featured the fight scenes in a compilation, rather than having to sit through the so called character development.
The last fight sequence in this movie is utterly phenomenal and could probably become viral if someone took the time to upload it onto You-Tube. I would even bet that it would get more hits that copies sold of the movie as a whole.
The movie sets up the 3rd entry in the series but sadly looks all the same as this one. Fantastic action, maybe the best I've seen in a decade just cant seem to save this one or sadly the next.
For serious enthusiasts only.

Rating (for martial arts fans) 4 tusks out of 5
Rating (for casual movie viewers) 2 many flashbacks out of 5

The Last Waltz on Blu-ray

Starring The Band with a little help from their friends Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Ringo Starr, Ron Wood, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dr John, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, The Hawk and others






What a lasting treat!! Given new life on Blu-ray and hi def, The Band comes back to life for their final farewell after 16 years on the road in this musical celebration of their storied career.
I hadn't seen this one in a number of years and was pleasantly surprised at how strong it remains to this day. The musical guests parade endlessly before you and lend a hand in bidding the boys adieu, each one adding their own signature style to the occasion.
Standouts for me include Van "the man" Morrison doing his classic Caravan complete with high kicks,fist pumps and some scatting thrown in for good measure. Bob Dylan and Neil Young with shockingly happy looks on their mugs are fun to watch as well. The haunting good looks and talent of Emmylou Harris add another dimension to the opus and cut through out the numbers the band members tell sordid stories of the road and Robbie Robertson carries these moments with his engaging style and deep stare. His voice had me thinking of another celebrity all the while and I couldn't figure it out until about an hour into the movie and it finally hit me, Robbie back then has an exact voice double in the entertainment world and it is that of David Duchovny of X Files fame. Give this movie another whirl and you will see/hear what I am talking about.
O.k back to the brilliance of this film. Eric Clapton puts on a clinic on the guitar along side Robertson for one song and Robertson is no slouch but Clapton makes him look like a beginner. Levon Helm in almost every song is so much fun to watch on drums and vocals, he adds an unequalled dimension to the groups appeal. Muddy Waters steals the show for most with his classic Mannish Boy and as Martin Scorsese recounts in the bonus features of the disc, they almost didn't capture his brilliance at all as Martin had ordered all of the cameras to stop so that he change film. One lonely camera was rolling out of 5 when the song started and Scorsese leaped up in a panic thinking it would be lost and ordered everyone back on camera and thankfully the performance was saved.
Little tidbits like that in the features section make this re-issue all the more engaging for the home viewer.
For an unrivaled farewell performance, look no further than The Band's Last Waltz

Rating 4 1/2 riffs out of 5


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The Hurt Locker

Starring Jeremy Renner

You have a month left on your tour in Iraq as a bomb specialist so the goal is fairly simple. Stay alive. Easier said than done for one of the deadliest assignments the armed forces has to offer.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (K-19, Point Break) the Hurt Locker has its fair share of gritty suspense and shoot outs but that might just be an understatement of Oscar worthy proportions. The suspense is the kind where you know full well what to expect and it almost always is, but getting there makes you sick to your stomach with anxiety.
The end game for these scenes are shot in a spectacular slow motion style that lets you fully appreciate the gravity of these harrowing events. Style coupled with a frank approach to a simple story are what makes this war movie an Academy Award nominated war movie. Each actor compliments the other, from the wimp to the cowboy to the head strong 2nd in command, we have no weak link and the stand out performance from the lead is what earned Jeremy Renner and Oscar nomination. He is not a big name like Clooney or Bridges and may not win but the old adage that its an honor just to be nominated actually holds true here and he should be honored.
The same goes for Bigelow who in the past has directed her fair share of suspense and action movies but this time around has created something that much more. She too is nominated this year and finds herself up against her ex husband (James Cameron) who is up for best director for Avatar??!! Sufficed to say, he doesn't need or deserve this award when compared to an actual cast of humans being directed deftly by another fellow human.
If James Cameron actually does win. Here's hoping he acknowledges his ex and that his speech isn't as jackassish as his first. Geez try saying that one 5 times fast.

Rating 4 green wires out of 5

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