Zero Dark Thirty - 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

This movie played like a TV series called "Homeland",already reviewed by me on this blog,I know its based on killing Osama but its a dramatization and thats part of the problem,thus I took 1 and 1/2 stars off.Released in 2012 and running 157 minutes its also a bit long.However its cast fits their roles with a star in smaller role,James Gandolfini,as the CIA director. Kathryn Bigelow again show she can direct with the "big boys"but a star is really born with  Jessica Chastain as Maya,a CIA case officer who is obsessed with killing Osama.Now there are is some torture and killing,but hey,thats life and the movies and I will not judge this movie on that.My only issue is that its hard to upstage a top TV series with the same sort of tough female character  and obsessive nature even when you have a historical event to base it on.
Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May 2011.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1222425/

The Bourne Supremacy - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Part of a ongoing franchise that now has 3 different actors playing Jason Bourne,this installment was released in 2004 and running 104 minutes,and the only one I've seen recently and can therefore review.I've taken 1 and 1/2 stars off because its a simple "bad CIA guys"film that was done many times before and even with better plots.What this film has is outstanding acting and locals and action for the lack of plot.Matt Damon is great as Bourne and heads a good cast.The film is really only for these action and incidental plot of bad guys run amok fans.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

When Jason Bourne is framed for a botched CIA operation he is forced to take up his former life as a trained assassin to survive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOLviFy9inA

What's Love Got to Do with It - 4 stars out of 5 stars

It's hard to review movie's about real people who are still alive.This true story can only be attributed to a book written by Tina about this subject and so taken on that face value it is riveting and pretty violent at times.Ike and Turner rose to popularity in the 60's and Tina became a abused wife and we can debate forever the reason for spousal abuse even in this case.What is not debatable is that once Tina broke away,she became one of the biggest stars off all time.Her talent and music had a energy and sexiness never seen before or really since as it was never vulgar as much of todays is.So taken in that context its hard to imagine anyone being able to capture that as a actress.Angela Bassett  comes so close,ones wonders if her voice could do it as Tina's actual recordings are the music used.Still Angela does a great job. Laurence Fishburne  plays a troubled Ike but since we don't know as much about Ike as Tina its no fair to judge him the same as we would Angela.Still I though Laurence was good enough that I would have wanted to beat the crap out of him myself !!!!! Released in 1993 and running 118 minutes I only took 1 star off because I wanted more detail about Tina's life.I still wanted to get a idea why a church gospel girl wound up with a band "player"Ike.I don't think we saw any of Tina's "pimples"and we all have them.Trailer URL follows the picture.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi486342937/

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

As a child I remember the old "Sherlock Holmes"as everyone saw those.They were all right but I always thought rather silly in acting and plot.So I missed the first of this new series and only caught the second because of a actress "Noomi Rapace "who came to everyones attention in the original european trilogy of films about a girl with a dragon tattoo,and she was ok in the rather small part they gave her in this film.No this film was a vehicle for Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson,to strut their stuff and that they do !!!
Released in 2011 and running 129 minutes,I had to deduct 1 and 1/2 stars for being long and having a contrived unbelievable story and too much CGI.That all said,Law and Downey do have a chemistry and I see more films in this series if the box office warrants it.This movie relied on CGI slow motion and special CGI effects to tell a contrived story about the duo's arch enemy trying to consolidate the arms industries to profit of the upcoming World War he planned to start. It has a few moments and todays fans love their CGI,but for me,it was so-so but for fine the pairs chemistry.World War was inevitable but our hero's make sure the evil  Professor James Moriarty  played well by Jared Harris,won't profit from it.Trailer URL follows the picture.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1860541977/

Bodyguards and Assassins - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Not knowing how accurate this movie is,it wasn't made as a documentary,so dramatic license is dramatic license.However there was a Sun Yat-Sen and he is one of the few things taught in my school years about China,so any film,no matter how accurate is a little treasure.Hong Kong director Teddy Chan made this 2009 film that runs 139 minutes with western audiences in mind.I say that because there are a few real obvious homages to western or other classic asian films known in the west, including the final scene right out of  silent Russian film classic"Battleship Potemkin".Some might say,no that from "The Untouchables",however that films scene was a homage to Potemkin and not as honest.You have to see both films,which I reviewed on this blog,to see my point.Also the Japanese classic,"Seven Samurai" re-made in Hollywood as "The Magnificent Seven",again both prior reviews on this blog.All that said and allowing for the possible inaccuracies,I took 1 star off grudgingly.So bottom line,if you like your action flicks with a little east meets west on a more current 20 century time line,this film is for you.I prefer older dynastic films as my education lacks there,still,a lot to like here so I do say check it out.Oh and the opening scene a Chinese professor is quoting Lincoln.Is that cool or what ??  Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-Sen visits Hong Kong to discuss plans with Tongmenghui members to overthrow the Qing dynasty. But when they find out that assassins have been sent to kill him, they assemble a group of protectors to prevent any attacks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vAq9h29dr0

Lincoln - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Small complainants about historic inaccuracies in this film, are slowly coming in, like the State of Connecticut complaining about their vote on the 13 amendment ratification. That said,its a docudrama partly based on a novel and immersed in this contras memory if not its soul.I think we could forgive a few errors once remembering those facts and that its a movie based on this countries darkest hour yet freshest hope.Thus I took 1/2 star off.Released in 2012 and running not long enough at 150 minutes,it has little violence for the heinous subject matter.In fact the only violence is in the opening battle scene of the movie,all else is implied but never seen.That might bore some but for a civics lesson,the film is engrossing,not only for the time,but showing really how little in Washington has changed except the results.Lincoln is a older version of Lyndon Johnson.Rough humor and a deal maker.That is what lacks in todays government.It seems those traits are still needed yet none of todays politicians posses them.I was never a big fan of Lincoln because the terrible civil war happened on his watch.However Director Steven Spielberg choose to show that the ends justify the means by the passing of the 13 amendment.That will be a debate for all of this countries history as it was at the time of the revolution.Never has it been so skillfully brought to the screen however and for that its a must see.The cast headed by Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln but as good as they all are its the story thats matters here.Slavery and the ultimate family blood feud of states rights and the Federal Government.Thats why its a civics lesson that should be mandatory viewing in the schools of this country.Some of the old jokes told in the movie were priceless.My favorite,and I'm paraphrasing while cutting very short, was Lincoln telling when he defended a woman for killing her husband,when he was still a lawyer,knowing she was justified,went to a out house with her and with a window open she complained it still smelled and where was the air fresher he replied,remember they are in Kentucky at the time,"In Tennessee madam"and she was never seen again.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1410639641/

Young Guns - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Another "take"on the legend of Billy the Kid.Lets just say the cast is this films real story plus its pretty violent.Released in 1988 and running 107 minutes,I took 1 and 1/2 star off because I don't believe a word of it.That said,Emilio Estevez ,outstanding as Billy with great support by Kiefer Sutherland ,Lou Diamond Phillips ,Charlie Sheen ,Dermot Mulroney and Casey Siemaszko as his riders.Add good"bad guy"Jack Palance and rare good guy Terence Stamp ,you have a hell of a  cast.The story is nothing new about corruption in the old west supported by hired guns and a silly military.But if you like action and gun barrel justice you should get a kick out of it.I did.Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary is below.

A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp8hqVS6nq4

We Bought A Zoo - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Corny,sappy,chick flick,and I loved it !!!!.Is there any role Matt Damon can't play ???Scarlett Johansson in a non sluttish role ??Thomas Haden Church where he's not stupid ??Maggie Elizabeth Jones a new child superstar!!!Just a few pleasant surprises is a film that steals the heart,yes I cried,and tells a story,based on factual zoo,believe it our not.
Released in 2011 and running 124 minutes its a mite bit long and again moneyed folks are needed for this storyline so thus 1/2 star off,other that perfect film.Its a family film of lose and coming to gether on a adventure in a new way of living and finding new direction when all seems lost.Melodramatic???Not really.See it !!!! Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STXvAhrVP0U

Sweet Dreams - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1985 and running 115 minutes,I wanted to really like this film.In the end I had to take 2 stars off because it was vert slow moving with little backstory of the major characters before they met and my own intolerance for those who can't handle success.
Sadly I did learn from this film that the great country singer,Patsy Cline,died young in a plane crash. Jessica Lange  was ok as Patsy although all the singing was actual recordings of Patsy,and Ed Harris  was fine as her white trash husband Charlie Dick .The movie centers on the tough road Patsy rode with her husband and that their marriage was"complicated"at best.So not knowing anything about her before the movie,I know little more other than the way she died,after viewing it. Questionable script at best.I did like the music.So I would recommend only for country music fans new to music and want a little info about the legends.Trailer URL follows the picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac6r1JJPhA8

The Iron Lady - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Two  things work against this film.It's prone to political generalities and it's about someone we known of.Thats why it's a Meryl Streep Tour de force for her outstanding performance as Margaret Thatcher.I had to take 1 and 1/2 stars of for the above reasons but it still a worth while expense of your time to view.Released in 2011 and running 105 minutes its also annoying to have flash back and forwards but it seems necessary to cement a certain feel for the drive that possessed Thatcher.The film also covers some tough times in her term and doesn't shun the hint of later dementia.Alexandra Roach was a pleasant surprise as young Margaret and I hope to see more of her in the future.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.The only thing the film skillfully dodges is the hint of something,em,hidden,between her and Ronald Regan.


An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3056442905/

Slap Shot - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

By no means does this film show what hockey is really about.It is a parody of a sport we called"gang warfare"when I was a kid.So as a parody it succeeds.Released in 1977 and running 123 minutes,I had to take 1 1/2 stars of for being dated and nothing more than a parody,story??There is none,really.Acting? May be Paul Newman's worse ever.However worth a view IF and only if you love hockey because the over the top violence and the characters of the Hanson brothers make it satire of he first order.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.There were sequels made but I doubt they come close to this.

Located in the US Rust Belt, Charlestown is home of the hapless Chiefs, a losing Federal League hockey team whose games are poorly attended. To make money, the team's unknown owner makes its manager, Joe McGrath, do cheesy publicity much to the players' chagrin. Rumors abound among the players that if the local mill closes, the team will fold. Just before the official announcement is made, the team's aging player/coach, Reggie Dunlop, does get wind that the mill is indeed closing and that this season will be the team's last. Beyond efforts to reconcile with his wife Francine, who loves Reggie but doesn't love his career, Reggie begins to focus on how to renew interest in the team for a possible sale as he knows if the team folds, his hockey career is over. Without telling anyone of his plan, he begins a rumor that the owner is negotiating a sale with a city in Florida. He also decides that "goon" hockey - most especially using the untapped talents of the recently acquired childlike ... Written by Huggo

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3499229465/

The Right Stuff - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1983 and running 193 minutes I took 1 star off because I have a few minor issues.As much as I love Chuck Yeager the famed test pilot who broke the sound barrier before anyone else,he was NOT a astronaut and the tie in with the 7 mercury astronauts is tepid at best.Also there is no back story on the astronauts' and since the film was really long at over 3 hours,you would think there would be some.Now that said,I loved the way the film told the "fly by the seat of your pants" program pushed at every turn by the Russians successes as well as funny easily pressured German scientists,a inept LBJ,tempted by the flesh,because of their popularity,astronauts who were still like frat boys, but who could really blame them flying on the back of death every time they went up and even aborigine mysticism.So remember the simpler time,the attitudes and the almost camp attitudes of washington in those contexts.Finally,always remember those real heros who had the right stuff,Alan Shepard,John Glenn,Gordon Cooper,Gus Grissom,Scott Carpenter,Wally Schirra and finally,Deke Slayton.As flawed as this movie may or may not be,depending on how you judge docudramas,their names should be remember for as long as men want to fly !!!Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.

 Tom Wolfe's book on the history of the U.S. Space program reads like a novel, and the film has that same fictional quality. It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager to the Mercury 7 astronauts, showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select people to be in it. Thrilling, funny, charming and electrifying all at once. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak1n6qQS3_A

The Three Stooges - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Larry David  plays a Nun but has no writing credits in this 2012 film that runs 94 minutes.But I do feel his influence none the less.The 3 actors that play the stooges are not A list comics but they do capture the zany essence of the stooges and for that reason I do recommend it.However I took 2 stars off because of silly attempts to update to our time like adding the "Jersey Shore"cast.Sadly there is really only the old time three stooges but sadly its hard to find them anymore since there stuff is in B&W and very violent even though its all in good fun.At the end of this movie the producers/writers/directors, Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly even demonstrate how some of the violence was faked and all in fun so kids shouldn't try it at home.I do recommend this film only to inspire you to see the original stooges because their physical slapstick comedy has never been done as well as they did it.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

While trying to save their childhood orphanage, Moe, Larry, and Curly inadvertently stumble into a murder plot and wind up starring in a reality TV show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4IoUo_ZJkY

Silver Streak - 4 stars out of 5 stars

Classic 70's comedy.Sadly that also means quite dated.Thus 1 star off.Younger viewers will find the pace slower than todays comedies,older folks will appreciate the nuance that entails.Small complaint,we don't get any Richard Pryor till the second half of the film but well worth the wait.Its really a vehicle for Gene Wilder but Pryor rules when he's on screen none the less.Also a sexy spin for one of my favorites actress's, Jill Clayburgh  and a nice group of supporting actors including as bad guys,Patrick McGoohan,Ray Walston and Richard Kiel and a host of other recognizable supporting roles.Released in 1976 and running 114 minutes,the plot is humorous and a tribute to long distance rail travel that was beginning its dying time to the really nothingness of today.If you like love at first sight that evolves to desperate love but in a humorous way,than you'll love this film.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

On a long-distance train trip, a man finds romance but also finds himself in danger of being killed, or at least pushed off the train.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4041933849/

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Its always hard to judge a film about the devil or his offspring or even worshiping,so I avoid most,but considering I like Nicolas Cage and Idris Elba and a even"highlander"and born in Great Neck Christopher Lambert,I had to check it out.Released in 2011 and running 95 minutes,I had to rate it 50/50 for subject matter which is highly objectionable.
That said,as a pure action flick its full of the big bangs.However after the film you may feel like you need a shower for watching it,you have to decide that for yourself.It's not "the Omen"which I have yet to review,but its s dark dirty child of satan film none the less.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJv2Wno1cA4

TV Series - Continuum - 5 stars out of 5 stars

Warning there is a low budget independent TV series by the same name BUT its not this one.This is from Canada's showcase network and the first season is done and filming on the second season has begone.Sci-fi channel in the US is now midway through airing that first season,but I have seen all 10 episodes and I am still not sure which way the second season will go.AND THAT'S A GOOD THING !!!! In season one we learn the earth of 2077 is ruled by corporations and there is a violent terrorist opposition that destroys corporate headquarters killing thousands, sort of like 9/11 but worse if you could believe that.On the day the terrorists are to be executed they escape back in time along with a policewoman,in the future called a protector,to our time,and thats where the series takes place with  flash forwards to explain the  questions only  then to create new ones!!We have time paradoxes,hidden agendas and a computer geek who is to become a 70 year old boss of our "protecter"in the future,sort of like John Conner'ish in the "Terminator"Yeah,its that though provoking !!!! WATCH IT MUST YOU !!!!Trailer URL follows  the picture and a very short IMDB summary below.

A detective from the year 2077 finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver and searching for ruthless criminals from the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6nkgEduYmQ

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Warning,drugs,racial stereotyping and a baby on coke,not the soda!!!! Everything morally wrong but but like a accident,I couldn't look away,I'm so ashamed.Thus 2 1/2 stars off and a 50-50 moral dilemma to watch this 2011 release that runs 90 minutes.Good cast and well,as a comedy,you just have to judge it for yourself.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.Watch at your own risk,you've been warned!!!

Six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure, stoner buds Harold Lee and Kumar Patel cause a holiday fracas by inadvertently burning down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R95TeZ9jE0Y

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War - 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Sometimes we forget the "forgotten war"Korea,was a civil war.This film will remind you.Always remember that as you prepare to view this film.Released in 2004 and running quite long at 140 minutes,I took only 1/2 star off for subtitles.It was engrossing as the film started slowly, but like a fine novel grips you to where you can't look away and want more,and more and then some.Very bloody like most Asian films are, and makes all US war films seem as if Disney made them by comparison,it still has a story like none I've ever seen before and that why I highly recommend it.A crazy war,unorganized conscription,death squads at home,desperate battles,all elements we have seen before.Even brothers in combat has been done before,but nothing like the ride these brothers go on.It's tempting to try to compare to a US war film but the closest I can come,and its really still very different,is "Beau Geste"It's hard to write what I felt after watching.maybe because I had no brothers and always regretted that.I guess the only thing I can thing of is the old adage about the absence of civilization is war.38000 US serviceman died in this war,thats why I saw this film,as there is little US films about "the forgotten war".You will not learn anything about our involvement from this film.Thats NOT what it was made for.If anything,its a tribute to the lost souls of that still divided peninsula and a prayer that it never happens again.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

In 1950, in South Korea, shoe-shiner Jin-tae Lee and his 18-year-old old student brother, Jin-seok Lee, form a poor but happy family with their mother, Jin-tae's fiancé Young-shin Kim, and her young sisters. Jin-tae and his mother are tough workers, who sacrifice themselves to send Jin-seok to the university. When North Korea invades the South, the family escapes to a relative's house in the country, but along their journey, Jin-seok is forced to join the army to fight in the front, and Jin-tae enlists too to protect his young brother. The commander promises Jin-tae that if he gets a medal he would release his brother, and Jin-tae becomes the braver soldier in the company. Along the bloody war between brothers, the relationship of Jin-seok with his older brother deteriorates leading to a dramatic and tragic end. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1603076377/

Warriors of the Rainbow Part1&2 - 4 stars out of 5 stars

In honor of the year of the snake,i'm reviewing this 2 part film that was again a recommendation of  a close friend from Taiwan. As I had said in conversations with him before,we are all very much the same as people but spend our lives looking for things that separate us.This film begins in 1895 with a quick lesson of how Japan gained control of the island of Taiwan.To most americans that is where the government of China fled after WW11 after losing a revolution led by Mao.However Taiwan had a population of natives not unlike our own plains indians.Here's we're we have our similarities and separations as peoples.The Taiwanese lived in forests and our indians in rolling planes.Headhunters vs scalpers and both fought their own peoples over hunting grounds allowing for long standing feuds that prevented uniting and allowing the Japanese and White men to divide and conquer.Sadly this film is extremely violent but based on a rebellion by the Seedig peoples against the Japanese in 1930 called the Wushe Incident.Released in 2011 in 2 parts that total 276 minutes it is very long and with subtitles thus the 1 star off.
Noble savages is a term that by nature is oxi-moronic but like our own native indians these headhunters were treated badly and forced to rebel and suffer a even harsher fate than our indians did.Its a tough film to watch,but if you are interested in China,its a historical must like wounded knee was in american history.Strongly recommend for those with strong stomachs. Trailer URL follows the pix and a IMDB summary below.Another John Woo production.Think he's world class by now??Remember Red Cliff??

During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the Seediq were forced to lose their own culture and give up their faith. Men were subject to harsh labor and kept from traditional hunting; whereas women had to serve the Japanese policemen and their families by doing the household work and giving up their traditional weaving work. Above all, they were forbidden to tattoo their faces. And these tattoos were seen as the Seediq's traditional belief to transform themselves into Seediq Bale ("true humans"). Mona Rudao, the protagonist, witnessed the repression by the Japanese over a period of 30 years. Sometime between autumn and winter 1930, when the slave labor is at its harshest, a young Seediq couple are married and a joyful party is thrown. At the same time, a newly appointed Japanese policeman goes on his inspection tour to this tribe. Mona Rudao's first son, Tado Mona, offers wine to the policeman with gusto, but is in return beaten up because his hands were considered not clean enough. With ... Written by Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53QsTkZMV1A

Safe House - 3 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 2012 and running 115 minutes what we have is a very well acted and tense film,but nothing more,thus the 2 stars off.We have seen many rouge CIA films before so this was not new at all.Rarly are they as well acted however since 3 days of the Condor.The acting is as good as that,but the story sadly is not.The fine acting begins with Denzel Washington  and a really seriously good Ryan Reynolds  and sadly not enough of Nora Arnezeder,which headed a fine cast.I did like the questionable ending though.So if you like good guy who is bad guy,but  maybe really good guy, spy films,check it out.Otherwise for Denzel fans only.Trailer URL follows the picture and a IMDB summary below.

A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3006438937/