Disconnect 2012

     This film is divided into three separate overlapping dramas.  A former marine damages his credit by gambling online.  His wife, Paula, turns to a social-networking site for comfort after the death of their young son.  A teenage boy becomes the victim of a prank staged by two other teens at school.  It doesn’t stop until he hangs himself, his sister saves him but he’s in a coma in the hospital.  An ambitious TV reporter starts investigating an online prostitution racket.  She makes promises she can’t keep and the FBI becomes involved.

     Trying to do too much waters down this film.  You don’t become involved with the characters, too many stories and too many people.  The connection in the stories involves electronic devices, laptops, ipads, cell phones.  3* (This movie is OK)

115 min, Drama directed by Henry Alex Rubin with Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Honah Bobo, Frank Grillo, Andrea Riseborough, Max Thieriot, Colin Ford.

Note:  Blockbuster 1 ½*, imdb 7.6 out of 10, 68% critic 77% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Iron Man 3 2013

     Tony Stark is haunted by his past experiences as Iron Man.  He’s unable to sleep and throws himself into his work.  This begins to take toll both mentally and physically.  Amid all these problems, a terrorist called the Mandarin hijacks television broadcasts with threats against America and the President.  Stark issues his own threat that leads to his home being completely destroyed.   He tracks down the Mandarin with the help of Col. Rhodes and a young boy he met along the way.

     If you want action, this is your movie.  There is so much going on every minute that it’s difficult to keep track.  There are some funny comments, “You’ve got one minute to live, fill it with talk!”  I haven’t heard that line before as a threat?  3* (This movie is OK)

130 min, Action directed by Shane Black with Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, William Sadler, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, James Badge Dale, Stephanie Szostak, Paul Bettany, William Sadler.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.4 out of 10, 79% critic 80% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist 2012

     Based on a best seller novel by Moshin Hamid.  Changez Khan came to American because he thought the playing field would be level in this country.  He was able to attend Princeton on scholarships and a well-known Wall Street firm hired him as a business analyst.  He’s on the fast track to fulfill his dreams.  He meets Erica and they become a couple.  She is still mourning her previous boyfriend who was killed in a car accident.  Everything changes after the World Trade Center disaster.  He doesn’t need to choose sides, they are chosen for him as he is seen as an enemy from Pakistani.

      I could tell right away this film was based on a novel.  The characters don’t seem real enough even though the events could be real.  Everything seems to remain on the novel pages and they don’t come to life on the screen.  3* (This movie is OK) 

 

130 min, Drama directed by Mira Nair with Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Martin Donovan, Nelsan Ellis, Haluk Bilginer.

Note:  Blockbuster 2 ½*, imdb 6.7 out of 10, 55% critic 64% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Forces 2011

     French journalist Elsa Cassanova and her partner Amen are covering the story of a woman sold to a man when she was a child.  Taliban leader Ahmed Zaief kidnaps Elsa and Amen.  He wants them to read a message to their government.  The president of France sends six men from Special Forces to rescue them, they are hidden in a fortress in Pakistan.  The men are able to release Elsa and Amen but they lose their radios.  They aren't able to reach the pickup point in time and without contact with their base, they will need to make a run for Afghanistan with the Taliban on their heels.

     In the beginning of watching this film, I thought, there is absolutely nothing new here, I've seen it all before and better.  Seemed like a video game but you don't have any of the controls.  The mission lasts eleven days and I seemed to see every day as wading through lead.  I took a break, came back and began to become involved with the characters.  The French Special Forces don't back down!!  3* (This movie is OK)

109 min, Action directed by Stephane Rybojad with Diane Druger, Djimon Hounsou, Benoit Magimel, Denis Menochet, Raphael Personnaz, Alain Figlarz.

Note:  Blockbuster 2*, imdb 6.2 out of 10. 15% critic 53 % audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Note:  Filmed in French and dubbed in English.

Himalaya: L'Enfance D'Un Chef 1999

     In a remote village in the Dolpo in the northwestern Himalayas of Nepal, Tinie is an old chief and he has just lost his eldest son.  There was an accident in the mountains on the return trip from Tibet’s salt lakes.  The villagers gather salt to trade in lower Nepal for grain.  Tinie believes his son’s friend Karma, is responsible for the death.  He refuses to allow Karma to lead a caravan of yaks for the village.  Tinie asks his second son to leave the monastery and help him with the caravan.  He gathers the elderly village people to help him.  His son’s wife and his grandson also go on the journey.  Tinie believes his grandson will be the next chief.

     The director Eric Valli has traveled in this area for many years.  He assembled a small French film crew and this film was made in nine months.  The conditions were extreme at an altitude of 17,000 feet.  The scenery shots are very good and interesting.  This film is like a National Geographic magazine come to life!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

104 min, Drama directed by Eric Valli with Thilen Lhondup, Lhakpa Tsamchoe, Gurgon Kyap, Karma Wangel, Karma Labrag Tundup, Tsering Dorjee, Rapke Gurung.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 7.3 out of 10, 89% critic 92% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The 12 Dogs of Christmas 2004

     Emma is 12 years old and she lives with her father since her mother passed away.  It’s the Great Depression and her father sends her to live with her aunt in the small town of Doverville.  Emma is having a hard time, her aunt isn’t very welcoming, wants her to get a job to pay her way and school is not where she wants to be.  The town mayor has declared that dogs are not allowed within the limits of the town.  He appoints his brother to catch and remove any dogs seen in town.  Emma rescues a puppy but her aunt is really not happy about a puppy.  Emma starts staying with Cathy Stevens and her son Mikey.  Cathy and Mike are rescuing all the dogs they can find.

     This is good for the ages of under 13 and over 30.  It’s a fun movie and you root for Emma, Cathy and Mike.  You hope only bad things happen to the dogcatcher and his evil twin!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

101 min, Drama directed by Kieth Merrill with Danielle Churchran, Alli Simpson, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan-Claire Green, D.B. Sweeney, Adam Hicks.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 5.4 out of 10, 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Redemption 2013

     Joey Smith is a British Special Forces veteran, he's AWOL and on the run from a military court martial.  He has become an alcoholic homeless man trying to forget his past.  He huddles inside a cardboard box in a dingy London Alley with Isabel, a woman who is also homeless.  When a couple of criminals start to harass the junkies and the destitute, he makes a run for it.  He ends up in the home of a wealthy man who is away in New York for the next eight months.  Smith movies in, starts to get clean, calls himself Joey Jones and gets a job working for a local Asian gangster.  He spends a lot of his money to help fund a local soup kitchen run by Sister Cristina and also gives money to his wife and daughter.  He finds out from Cristina that Isabel has been found dead and he decides to hunt down her killer.  Cristina questions her own faith, confronts her past and counsels Smith to think about his own violent nature and past.

      I’m surprised the reviews are low for this film?  Maybe I liked it more because I didn’t like Trance and Welcome to the Punch.  This is so much better than those two films!!  I think Statham is good and I liked his Transporter films too.  You don’t know what is going to happen or what to expect next in this film  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

100 min, Mystery & Suspense directed by Steve Knight with Jason Statham, Agata Buzek, Vicky McClure, Benedict Wong, Siobhan Hewlett, Ian Pine, Ger Ryan, Youssef Kerkour, Victoria Bewick, Christian Brassington.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.2 out of 10, 48% critic 36% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.