THE WIRE: SEASON 2 - After hearing so many great things about this series Jenny and I decided to give it a try. So about a month ago we started with Season 1 and we were anxious to get into it. While I admit we enjoyed the first season, I thought it was an acquired taste, and often times laborious to get through. However, the season improved with each episode and by the end of the first season we liked it. So here we are now with season 2...and oh my...what a step up. The second season of THE WIRE is fantastic. Not only is there a new storyline to follow, but several minor storylines follow all the characters from the first season as well. Such a great show. Great directing...acting...storylines...etc. The show is not for casual watching mind you...but it's very rewarding if you give it a chance.
CHAPTER 27 - This film is an account of the few days leading up to the murder of John Lennon in 1980. Jared Leto stars at Mark David Chapman. Leto put on an extra 60 pounds for the role, and plays Chapman very convincingly. The film is rather slow to get into thanks to Leto's constant voice overs, and is sometimes convoluted since most of the story is told through Chapman. But overall I'd say this film is pretty interesting. One of my all time favorite books is CATCHER IN THE RYE, (which now that I admit it may put me on some government watch list.) And since Chapman was arrested with a copy of the book, we get a lot of scenes in the movie of him reading the book...voice over exerpts taken from the book...and him introducing himself to others as Holden Caulfield. So all in all I found that part of the film interesting obviously.
BANGKOK DANGEROUS - This is the original version of this film...released in 1999 from the Pang brothers, (there was an American release of this film in 2008 with Nicholas Cage). This is one of those Asian gangster films in the style of John Woo movies and Chow Yun Fat films. I've always been a fan of Woo and Fat films, so I was always interested in this one. While some of the action sequences are pretty cool, the dialouge is awful (as expected) and the storyline is forgettable and pointless. There is a gangster-for-hire guy who's deaf and mute, and there's a triad who's out to get him. Something like that. But like I said...you're not watching this for the story. The action is pretty cool...and the style and look of the film is interesting. Pretty cool asian-gangster flick. Not as great as John Woo...but not bad either.
WANTED - Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and James McAvoy all star in this shoot-em-up action thriller about an underground society of assasins who are able to make bullets "bend" in mid-air. The movie is based on a comic book series from a few years ago, and has a very "adrenalized" look and feel to it. Sure the stars are there...and sure the action is over-the-top. But I found little to keep me interested with this one. Pretty much a yawner if you ask me. McAvoy does a good job of playing the lead character, but everything else here feels tired and worn.
TAKEN - Liam Neeson plays a father who is a retired CIA agent...and he has just learned his daughter has been kidnapped in Paris. Instead of calling the police he decides to take matters into his own hands and attempts to rescue his daughter on his own. The movie is kind of in the style of the Jason Bourne movies, and I think it works very well. At first I didn't quite see Neeson playing this kind of role, but he actually plays it perfectly. His character can do all the things Jason Bourne can do, but unlike Bourne...Neeson's character occasionally gets cut or bruised. Still he fights on knowing his daughter is somewhere out there. Some of the supporting cast here are a little annoying (like the ex-wife), but for the most part I thought this was a pretty good film. I was surprised.
GODS & GENERALS - This is part one in a Civil War trilogy...all based on the novels of Jeffrey Shaara. This has been in my Netflix queue for years now, so I decided to give this one a try...knowing it was going to take a while to get through. Now I wouldn't call myself a Civil War "buff," but I do find the Civil War fascinating. In GODS AND GENERALS, we see the beginnings of the Civil War, and some of the early campaigns. There are some scenes here with Robert E. Lee (played by Robert Duvall), but for the most part the movie is based on General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's life, and his rise and fall. The story here is authentic and as factual as you can get, but the acting (in most parts) is surprisingly average. Some of the scenes are dragged out beyond belief. But the battle scenes are what make this movie. Not only are they grand and ferocious, they are maticulously authentic. Some of the battle scenes were shot at actual locations, and the clothing is so accurate even the boots and shoes are the same as the soldiers wore. I wouldn't say this movie is for everyone. It's 3 1/2 hours long. But for those who are interested in history, war, and the Civil War, GODS & GENERALS is worth the effort.
GETTYSBURG - And that leads me to GETTYSBURG...part 2 in the Civil War trilogy that I talked about above. Though technically a sequel to GODS & GENERALS, GETTYSBURG actually came out first (in 1999). The characters are the same here, but some of the actors are different. And unlike GODS & GENERALS, which covers several locations and battles and storylines, GETTYSBURG focuses solely on the one 3 day battle. The battle scenes are excellent and convincing, and the acting this time is excellent as well. Make no mistake...this is a 4 hour movie...but it's great. Jeff Daniels reprises his role as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, (who led a bayonet charge that kept the confederates from taking a strategic hilltop) and Martin Sheen and Tom Berenger play Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet...who play off each other wonderfully. If you're a Civil War buff and you're familiar with the 3 day battle you'll be pleased to know that everything of importance is recreated on film. There's "Pickett's Charge," "Chamberlain's bayonet charge," you name it. And best of all...for further realism the movie was shot on the actual Gettysburg site. In my opinion GETTYSBURG is a far superior film than GODS & GENERALS, but both are worth checking out. There is a third title in the trilogy...LAST FULL MEASURE. Both GETTYSBURG and GODS & GENERALS were both financed by Ted Turner, and at this point he has said publicly that he has no plans to finance a third (due to poor box office results).
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