Contraband 2012

     Chris is a former smuggler in New Orleans but he's out of the business and has his own alarm installation business.  He also has a wife and two boys.  His wife's brother smuggles cocaine on a ship but dumps the cargo in the water when investigators come about the vessel.  Briggs is a drug dealer and he's behind this deal, he demands restitution and he doesn't care who delivers.  Chris gets on a freighter destined for Panama where he will obtain counterfeit currency.
     There are some errors in this movie, if you know someone who has sailed to Panama and back, they can point them out.  Everyone seems so tough but are they really?  This does have some exciting moments.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

109 min, Action directed by Baltasar Kormakur with Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna, J.K. Simmons, Ben Foster, Jason Mitchell, Paul LeBlanc.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 1/2*, imdb 6.5 out of 10, 51% critic 60% audience on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Wallander: The Man Who Smiled 2010

     Lawyer Sten Tostensson tells Wallander that he believes his elderly father's death in a car crash was something else.  The key to the car was not in the ignition but was on the floor.  Wallander has taken a 6 month sick leave after a breakdown following a self defense shooting of a man.  Wallander turns Sten away but feels very badly when he finds out Sten hanged himself.  A wealthy philanthropist and been their major legal client so he's first to be investigated.  Wallander is on shaky ground both mentally and physically but he's got to get to the bottom of this case.
     Wallander is still reeling from shooting a man, he doesn't want to carry his fun whether he needs it or not.  There are a lot of mysteries surrounding this case, does he have anything left to find the solution?  Interesting and intense.  4* (I really liked this movie)

90 min, Crime directed by Andy Wilson with  Kenneth Branagh, Sarah Smart, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark, Sadie Shimmin, Tom Hiddleston, David Warner.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 7.1 out of 10, not listed on Rotten Tomatoes.

Wallander: Faceless Killers 2010

      An elderly couple are murdered in their isolated farmhouse and the wife was able to say something to Wallander before she died.  He thinks she said foreigners but he's not sure.  This information gets leaked to the police even though he said to keep it confidential, there must be a leak among the police station force?  A migrant laborers camp is set fire and a random worker is killed by a shotgun because of the leak information.  There are a lot of leads but Wallander seems to be getting nowhere. 
     The further along he gets in the case, the more disheveled Wallander becomes.  He doesn't even go home to sleep at home but stays in one of the holding cells?  He's forced to kill a man in self-defense but his gun is confiscated and there will be an internal investigation.  This weighs heavily on his mind.  Very intense, just an everyday occurrence turns out to be the biggest lead.  4* (I really liked this movie)

90 min directed by Hettie Macdonald  with Kenneth Branagh, Sarah Smart, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark, Sadie Shimmin, Tom Hiddleston, David Warner.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 7.1, not listed on Rotten Tomatoes.

American Pastime 2007

     An inspirational small town drama exploring the effects of WWII on Japanese American citizens trying to overcome suspicion and to be accepted in this country.  Some families were taken to the Topaz Internment Camp in a dusty dry area.  Lyle is a teen star baseball pitcher and had been accepted into college on a baseball scholarship.  Billy is a camp guard and minor league catcher, he's hoped all his life for a chance in the big leagues.  Lyle's father comes up with the idea to have a game between the two sides.
     There is a lot of racism among the guards and the townspeople even though several of the young men in the camp are in U.S. Army Unit 442.  This unit was one of the most decorated units in the Army and many of the men were lost in battle.  Some of the lost men came from this camp but it doesn't seem to change opinions.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

106 min, Drama directed by Desmond Nakano with Gary Cole, Lenardo Nam, Aaron Yoo, Mastatoshi Nakamura, Judy Ongg, Jon Gries, Susanna Thompson, Seth Sakai, Sarah Drew, Tod Huntington.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.4 out of 10, 33% critic 63% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol 2011

     This is the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible series.  The IMF is blamed for a bombing of the Kremlin.  Ethan Hunt and his team are accused of placing the bomb and the President initiates Ghost Protocol which means he denies any connection with the team.  Ethan assembles a new team to find out who wants to incite global nuclear war.
     Tom Cruise is going to be turning 50 soon, how much longer can he do these stunts and movies?  This movie does seem to be one of the better ones in the series.  I liked the team, they work well together and good acting, it was a good call to add Simon Pegg to the mix.  I really liked the sliver and glass BMW i8 concept car he drives in some of the scenes!!   3 1/2* (I liked this movie)


132 min, Action directed by Brad Bird with Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff, Anil Kapoor, Lea Seydoux.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 93% critic 85% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Extremely Loud and Extremely Close 2011

     Based on a novel by Johathan Safran Foer, a post 9/11 drama following the journey of a nine year old boy as he attempts to solve a family mystery.  After his father died in one of the towers, Oskar discovers a key in his father's closet.  When he finds the lock, he's hoping the key will let him to solve a mystery.  He sets out to find the lock with the only the last name of Black on the envelope holding the key as a clue.  There are many people with this name in the New York phone book!
     This didn't get very good reviews and I didn't expect to like this movie since 9/11 movies are always downers.  One review also said Oskar is an irritation as the lead character because of his personality.  I didn't find any of this to be true, it's very enjoyable, there is hope with sadness.  You are rooting for Oskar to find the lock but it's about more than just the key and lock.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

129 min, Drama directed by Stephen Daldry and Eric Roth with Tom Hanks,Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Zoe Caldwell, Dennis Hearn, Paul Klementowicz, Julian Tepper, Caleb Reynolds, Max von Sydow.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.7 out of 10, 47% critic 62% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Shame 2011

     Brandon is an outwardly ordinary man with very strong inner compulsions.  He's a businessman in his early thirties living in New York.  He seems cool and introverted but inside he has a very powerful sexual appetite, he's obsessed with pornography and he cannot establish relationships.  Keeping the world at arm's length is his way of life.  His sister comes for an unexpected visit, she is outgoing and flashy but with problems of her own.
     This movie has a NC17 rating, it is very powerful visually and emotionally plus dark and brutal. You can feel Brandon's pain, his sister has her own pain but for different reasons.  Edge-of-your-seat reactions because you want to have hope that both Brandon and his sister get help to change their lives but can they or will they?  4* (I really liked this movie).

99 min, Drama directed by Steve McQueen with Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie, Lucy Walters, Mari-Ange Ramirez, Elizabeth Massucci, Rachel Farrar, Loren Omer.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.7 out of 10, 80% critic 79% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.