A BAGFUL OF PARANTHETICAL BLAKE EDWARDS ARCHIVE REVIEWS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5i8I6XW7qRVg0-P7pdb_1aQlJG9r039-Y-svtB1uHlX8XIAcZZ9cjieA5JKMs15fQW0xHW1ESAw5LKVYgILWT3PWPl5t6MHTavvrf3u06QZtw13FiawghkW5Ikz-FoNPnlyjtOCvGpqe/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-03-09+at+9.54.23+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="675" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5i8I6XW7qRVg0-P7pdb_1aQlJG9r039-Y-svtB1uHlX8XIAcZZ9cjieA5JKMs15fQW0xHW1ESAw5LKVYgILWT3PWPl5t6MHTavvrf3u06QZtw13FiawghkW5Ikz-FoNPnlyjtOCvGpqe/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-03-09+at+9.54.23+PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bruce Willis and Malcolm McDowell YEAR: 1991 Score: **1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;"><u>SUNSET:</u></span> James Garner is the real life Marshall Wyatt Earp and Bruce Willis is cowboy actor Tom Mix portraying Earp in a movie, and they team-up to solve a murder in old Hollywoodland...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Reminiscent of those episodes of "Rockford Files" with Garner and the classier, prettier and younger Tom Selleck, but since there's really no clashing between the REAL cowboy and the FAKE one there's not much chemistry either. It's like watching two friends agreeing upon everything — what's the fun in that? But there are some decent performances and you'll have light fun watching. Meanwhile, as usual, Bruce Willis is passable doing his ever-charming-reaction acting style and James Garner keeps the ball rolling at a comfortable pace. Although in the end you'll forgot you've seen anything: except maybe cult icon Malcolm McDowell's final moments as a bizarre, classy and then monstrous villain as the affable comedy morphs wickedly into a chilling/thrilling Hammer Film.  <br>

blake edwards, bruce willis, comedy, eighties, fifties, jack lemmon, james garner, john ritter, lee remick, malcolm mcdowell, romantic comedy, sixties, thriller, TV, william holden

A BAGFUL OF PARANTHETICAL BLAKE EDWARDS ARCHIVE REVIEWS

Bruce Willis and Malcolm McDowell YEAR: 1991 Score: **1/2 SUNSET: James Garner is the real life Marshall Wyatt Earp and Bruce Willis i...

BRUCE WILLIS IN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S 'GLASS' W/ SAM JACKSON

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC8s3A5h54vSjqOZ-Qqv_W8wdyB-OLhrrhOzRRYqizYmMTzX1G8g0iX31jFNQYkrUCfO-F4dn8qpkU752qK5Hhnh7VHRrpyTApijJ76UkJwKoPTzjpX_ymYRPEGU0mlcvmrs-Fs5uwOeS/s1600/https---blogs-images.forbes.com-scottmendelson-files-2018-11-GLASS-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1280" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC8s3A5h54vSjqOZ-Qqv_W8wdyB-OLhrrhOzRRYqizYmMTzX1G8g0iX31jFNQYkrUCfO-F4dn8qpkU752qK5Hhnh7VHRrpyTApijJ76UkJwKoPTzjpX_ymYRPEGU0mlcvmrs-Fs5uwOeS/s400/https---blogs-images.forbes.com-scottmendelson-files-2018-11-GLASS-1.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The poster shows the main problem... way too much McAvoy  2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> M. Night Shyamalan never needs to provide a director commentary track for GLASS since the actors do it for him. A two-tier sequel, one for the subtle classic UNBREAKABLE starring Bruce Willis as a security guard who can't be injured, manipulated by title character Mr. Glass, played by Samuel L. Jackson; the other SPLIT, the recent thriller/horror with James McAvoy as a zoo employee serial killer of young girls...<br> <br> Unfortunately, and despite the title, this is <i>not </i>an UNBREAKABLE sequel. Having AMERICAN HORROR STORY actress Sarah Paulson play a psych-ward shrink with a three-day pass (using two unrealistically inept security guards) to cure this eclectic trio of their supposed hyperactive fantasies, it's really about sustaining SPLIT. And for the audience, having to deal with a killer with multiple personalities is one thing... Being stuck with an otherwise talented British actor showing just how damned talented he is, is, well.. Hell on Earth... and slowly...<br>

2019, action, bruce willis, comic book, franchise, horror, james mcavoy, m. night, new, samuel l. jackson, sequel, superhero, thriller, trilogy

BRUCE WILLIS IN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S 'GLASS' W/ SAM JACKSON

The poster shows the main problem... way too much McAvoy  2019 M. Night Shyamalan never needs to provide a director commentary track for...

BLOODY REMAKE OF 'DEATH WISH' STARRING BRUCE WILLIS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8VETAQ1cSiVmTc7ovCA88TqUGyB-Ei21wzFX6BWURfyCHXO4j61Kw_MlcalmGWGcg81ynGUL6e2Wghg_0m-IkwLKnOhjWlknca_AH1gFIuliOJw17FfVd0lgExUIyFQ33NvmEXJhaqjD/s1600/Death-Wish-poster-with-Bruce-Willis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="589" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8VETAQ1cSiVmTc7ovCA88TqUGyB-Ei21wzFX6BWURfyCHXO4j61Kw_MlcalmGWGcg81ynGUL6e2Wghg_0m-IkwLKnOhjWlknca_AH1gFIuliOJw17FfVd0lgExUIyFQ33NvmEXJhaqjD/s400/Death-Wish-poster-with-Bruce-Willis.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bruce Willis in what looks like a golf swing follow-thru YEAR: 2018</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;">The difference of the original Charles Bronson crime exploitation classic DEATH WISH and its four sequels is the same between Eli Roth's modernized take with Bruce Willis... </span><br> <br> <span style="font-size: large;">Instead of one man becoming a freelance, anything-goes vigilante <i>because of</i> his wife's death and daughter's coma </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">(aided by a young Jeff Goldblum)</span>, he sets out after the real killers. Which makes 2018's DEATH WISH more of a sparse Neo-Noir extension of Denzel Washington's surprisingly good THE EQUALIZER than a high-octane "yippee ki yay" update of the 70's cult classic...</span><br>

2018, action, bruce willis, elizabeth shue, exploitation, new, remake, suspense

BLOODY REMAKE OF 'DEATH WISH' STARRING BRUCE WILLIS

Bruce Willis in what looks like a golf swing follow-thru YEAR: 2018 The difference of the original Charles Bronson crime exploitation cl...

BILL MURRAY IN ROCK THE KASBAH

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdjCh1ngXqQ5oj8tTQRcutpbBsHe3OkPyOKDgoHW5LFSksWNc-zVuPkECYc_CEe6c14IFKbMyevakEUTOaUfrB2Hylqj6UmcuEMkco0m1KkVF2MGf9_GVjIUeEeKU_sRWMFWvVJjSf5g/s1600/1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdjCh1ngXqQ5oj8tTQRcutpbBsHe3OkPyOKDgoHW5LFSksWNc-zVuPkECYc_CEe6c14IFKbMyevakEUTOaUfrB2Hylqj6UmcuEMkco0m1KkVF2MGf9_GVjIUeEeKU_sRWMFWvVJjSf5g/s320/1.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr> </tbody></table> Unless you go way back to the original SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, after Chevy Chase quit and the new kid took over, and follow Bill Murray's progression from background mediocrity to complete greatness, you'll discover his brilliant persona began with lounge singer Nick Winters. If you haven't seen any clips of this character, just watch MEATBALLS, STRIPES, GHOSTBUSTERS, to name just a few... And Nick's subliminally in all those: An offbeat, charming, sarcastic, lovable loser... Only in ROCK THE KASBAH, with a title taken from a Clash tune and directed by Barry Levinson, Bill's oblivious loser denies being one, but admits to always eventually quitting.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAK301anL43mXl6ajIb8DGzoy2xjMaRJnFOH2elAlk2_pYPqsR7ue6k0idBsptupieqVoZYWePpco9aN3V9yR8q018BOXFAAshT311KzSp1v0p_d8i30oJBacPdr8sTGBthz6_OOGFI68/s1600/2.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAK301anL43mXl6ajIb8DGzoy2xjMaRJnFOH2elAlk2_pYPqsR7ue6k0idBsptupieqVoZYWePpco9aN3V9yR8q018BOXFAAshT311KzSp1v0p_d8i30oJBacPdr8sTGBthz6_OOGFI68/s320/2.png" width="190" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where it all began</td></tr> </tbody></table> After a second wind of indie films including LOST IN TRANSLATION and almost any Wes Anderson project, Murray became a cool contrary uncle for the millennial hipster generation, and now he's back in breezy old school form: Not that this movie's nearly as great as those aforementioned classics, but it's a personality-driven vehicle for the most part, taking Murray's desperate, low-rent music manager Richie Lanz from America to, of all places... for rushed and not very logical reasons... Afghanistan, where, after losing his flaky, reluctant "talent," winds up discovering a secret local sensation to eventually perform on a reality television show, Afghan Star, their form of American Idol.<br /> <br /> At the very end it's noted this is a true story: And during the third act the plot shifts from Murray conning his way in and out of (never very suspenseful) trouble... often with the help of maverick soldier Bruce Willis and hooker Kate Hudson... into a determined belief that this Afghan singer, a young lady living in a country where females have little to no artistic freedom, will overcome the odds. And while the fusion of comedy and drama becomes a bit awkward, and Murray's Richie is no Nick Winters (his spontaneous sitar rendition of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" is an obvious attempt at SNL homage) or even John Winger or Dr. Peter Venkman, there are a few witty moments. Yet it's his genuine style of solid acting that not only makes the picture work, but should casually appease all generations of Bill Murray fans.<br /> <br /> RATING: ***1/2

2015, barry levinson, bill murray, biopic, bruce willis, comedy

BILL MURRAY IN ROCK THE KASBAH

year: 2015 Unless you go way back to the original SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, after Chevy Chase quit and the new kid took over, and follow Bill...

RED 2

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ_bkEbT-SUstgZz5dsjLgDsfnzduoE-KUuLXTitMg3ZvHMoG6egpdOJzLzCfAT6G5uGhaUnRrZ_ixhFTzUbyEnblm6k-NuQcOlR-3qid3X508HRGlDAPBBuaMOqDba_sEdyaebQeOpy2/s1600/red2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ_bkEbT-SUstgZz5dsjLgDsfnzduoE-KUuLXTitMg3ZvHMoG6egpdOJzLzCfAT6G5uGhaUnRrZ_ixhFTzUbyEnblm6k-NuQcOlR-3qid3X508HRGlDAPBBuaMOqDba_sEdyaebQeOpy2/s640/red2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2013 cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> If someone had the task of counting all the bullets fired in RED 2, the location-hopping follow-up to the DC COMICS graphic novel turned veteran actor ensemble, they’d have an easier time figuring how many grains of sand make up the Sahara Desert. Okay, that’s an exaggeration… And exaggeration is exactly what makes this movie so fun to watch.<br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> Bruce Willis, as retired agent Frank Moses, is the man everything centers around. His very normal small town girl Sarah, played by Mary-Louise Parker, is along for the ride and, much like the original, can’t believe she’s part of the bloodshed. Thankfully this time she isn't so befuddled, and really wants to learn how to, along with John Malkovich’s crazy Marvin and Helen Mirren’s gun-toting Victoria, take down the bad guys and find a missing nuclear reactor. So once again we’re thrust back into a modern day Cold War: The Russians are present but not as villains – Catherine-Zeta Jones plays Frank’s former lover, a sexy Soviet agent bringing jealousy out of Sarah’s character, who uses her sexuality to help the group weave in and out of painted corners.</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> The entire film goes from one gun-blasting situation to the next, each with a new European location and obstacles around every turn. Anthony Hopkins plays a highly regarded bomb expert who flipped his lid after spending thirty years in prison; he makes an awful secondary comic relief but there's more here than meets the eye. And in the token youth department Byung-hun Lee as Han, out to kill Frank at all costs, provides a few good karate kicks along the way. And with an overkill of perpetual violence, diminishing what could have been more creative espionage, this is all about the characters. Despite the fact that Malkovich isn't as crazy or humorous, he’s not trying so hard to be the quirky "Murdoch" (A-TEAM) and plays a relatively mellow second fiddle to Willis, who, at this point, can sleepwalk though action sequences and it wouldn’t make any difference… He and his pals are having a blast despite the bombarding cliches. </div> <!--EndFragment-->

2013, action, bruce willis, ensemble, helen mirren, john malkovich, sequel

RED 2

year: 2013 cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox rating: *** If someone had the task of counting ...

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyHJ6ga2IlN9Gh3x7cN2ZFSn-H_eSheSj45LaiScCWdmTEsRhwm2VUDKWi9UnYQrzqo4D0NWDq94Y-IECqx-qekCGZnn89qXq1ZrgkS-n9kRPKa0qKNjkdiGvO_NzmLxoebjH8nojc78/s1600/gijoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyHJ6ga2IlN9Gh3x7cN2ZFSn-H_eSheSj45LaiScCWdmTEsRhwm2VUDKWi9UnYQrzqo4D0NWDq94Y-IECqx-qekCGZnn89qXq1ZrgkS-n9kRPKa0qKNjkdiGvO_NzmLxoebjH8nojc78/s640/gijoe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2013 cast: Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum <b>rating:</b> **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Channing Tatum might have seen the Kurt Russell action thriller EXECUTIVE DECISION and thought highly of Steven Seagal, who played a potentially vital character for the first twenty minutes. Following a similar doomed cameo in SIDE EFFECTS, Tatum’s Duke is in charge of G.I. JOE, a crack unit based in the desert that winds up slaughtered by an assault team manned by the President of the United States, played by Jonathan Pryce. But that’s not really the President – a devious double has taken over and now the maligned unit, sans the unlucky yet heroic Duke and now led by Dwayne Johnson's Roadblock, has to stop whatever else Evil Prez has in store, including a stockade of nuclear missiles.<br /> <br /> Once we’re out of the desert and into other regions, the best scenes take place around the perimeter of a mountaintop monastery where good guys and bad guys battle it out using tons of rock climbing rope and cables. These resilient heroes aren’t our central trio, who are busy crashing a Washington party before winding up in the suburbs where a third-act savior awaits in the form of Bruce Willis… the "original Joe" himself… providing enough guns and ammo to start a… or rather, hopefully end a… Third World War.<br /> <br /> The finale is contained within an assortment of grumpy world leaders (with several jokes against North Korea) gathered around their own red nuclear buttons, as a mad-gleaming Pryce needs only a purring lap cat to be a world-dominating Bond villain (he was one, actually). Thus a worthy team up of The Rock and Willis is never quite realized… We needed more Army action figure types than the amour-plated Ninjas, who seem straight out of a corny graphic novel. Thus the combination of reality and fantasy make RETALIATION an assortment of bombastic action sequences that doesn't gel together as a whole.

2013, action, bruce willis, dwayne johnson, franchise, jonathan pryce, military, sequel

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION

year: 2013 cast: Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum rating: **1/2 Channing Tatum might have seen the Kurt Russell action thr...

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitna5fMciZ2le4f_0ljRBGKhY3AX_Mk_4Rx8EuGm15shRtjGFCmPh96uw185tCRnN4_5OdqXcwt-Hx5mLISlVuSEz9T6MPmiERpfpHvUTGnOh7a9LbVRF5JEz46P8AadcRAoaki9EjfSI/s1600/gooddaytodiehard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitna5fMciZ2le4f_0ljRBGKhY3AX_Mk_4Rx8EuGm15shRtjGFCmPh96uw185tCRnN4_5OdqXcwt-Hx5mLISlVuSEz9T6MPmiERpfpHvUTGnOh7a9LbVRF5JEz46P8AadcRAoaki9EjfSI/s640/gooddaytodiehard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2013 <b>cast:</b> Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Cole Hauser <b>rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> “I’m on vacation,” John McClane replies (minus a particular “adjective”) after a long busy day firing machine guns, crashing a truck through a crowded freeway and surviving other dangerous situations to aid his wayward son Jack, a secret agent in Moscow hired to protect an important witness from being killed by a big bad crime syndicate. <br /> <br /> The witness, along with a "secret file" everyone wants to get their hands on, is the plot in a nutshell, which matters little in this action-packed fifth outing of the DIE HARD franchise. Even Jack's sporadic gripes about John not being a good father are lost in the bombastic glory. <br /> <br /> Bruce Willis has aged perfectly for the kind of character he’s become. A grizzled, experienced cop who, at first, merely tags along as his son takes charge, has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to make the risk-taking not only riskier, but he gets results. <br /> <br /> There are a few twists – twists upon twists, actually – but these should be kept secret. Not that they add or subtract from what’s gonna happen anyway: a lot of bloody gunfights and one… or actually… two maverick Americans turning Moscow, and eventually Chernobyl, into their own bullet-ridden playground. <br /> <br /> The nice thing is the movie isn’t very long, and though there’s not much to follow but a very basic “stay alive so you don’t get killed” template, the father/son teamup, especially Willis’s snarky tomcat with more than nine lives to spare, are fun to watch as they bond throughout the constant pandemonium.

2013, action, bruce willis, franchise, jai courtney

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

year: 2013 cast: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Cole Hauser rating: *** “I’m on vacation,” John McClane replies (minus a...

MALCOLM McDOWELL SPOOKS A BREEZY SUNSET

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ty6Gjdt4Wlvz-BS6cvbq6ZKGQpdkeM2qLom4iH_9eOqwl5o7620Udb0a_6QWckeeUzvR4abw64vPBjL4M8AWTDrJeMh_hc-weVjjNHcUH3wgm5WywtySLYWt2TBphN33joBLk6WLXn1T/s1600/0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ty6Gjdt4Wlvz-BS6cvbq6ZKGQpdkeM2qLom4iH_9eOqwl5o7620Udb0a_6QWckeeUzvR4abw64vPBjL4M8AWTDrJeMh_hc-weVjjNHcUH3wgm5WywtySLYWt2TBphN33joBLk6WLXn1T/s1600/0.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm McDowell bleeding in SUNSET</td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: white;">You never quite know where CLOCKWORK ORANGE icon MALCOLM McDOWELL will turn up. After the Stanley Kubrick ultraviolent classic made him a star, his career was hit and miss, providing large and small roles in every genre imaginable: including drama, horror, comedy and action...</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">And here in Blake Edward's comic adventure SUNSET, about James Garner's Wyatt Earp and Bruce Willis's Tom Mix teaming up to solve a murder, Malcolm's Alfie, a former acrobat turned sadistic movie mogul... think Charlie Chaplin and Charles Manson combined... provides an eerie surprise when, sneak attacking Bruce Willis, he pays (possible) homage to classic Vampire films.  </span><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSapg2vM3gRXXXCPfgMoeG_sUzlhdqvXb6iew-46lCr56ddTum-SCq8tsbeLWyEWx3LTaPMHzT2OW82gZCQurdhQWQuF7KIKYspP3ZOuakbveej9tsPAEVQl6Nk-RxZjidLg8WgdlBG2O/s1600/2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSapg2vM3gRXXXCPfgMoeG_sUzlhdqvXb6iew-46lCr56ddTum-SCq8tsbeLWyEWx3LTaPMHzT2OW82gZCQurdhQWQuF7KIKYspP3ZOuakbveej9tsPAEVQl6Nk-RxZjidLg8WgdlBG2O/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Willis walking to his car</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RvIQV1obkXe9qFaNtmc2wbPATIQZrqYLmdHTkMxgthILM-w1OOrWRupeMuxnj6jBFsh6deXeSEv4LdiST0Is-A82oLvK_nfmuYQmYEBKkZVUxb22DdvuOnHa0hDjPauWEW3Z3ZyhFm8a/s1600/4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RvIQV1obkXe9qFaNtmc2wbPATIQZrqYLmdHTkMxgthILM-w1OOrWRupeMuxnj6jBFsh6deXeSEv4LdiST0Is-A82oLvK_nfmuYQmYEBKkZVUxb22DdvuOnHa0hDjPauWEW3Z3ZyhFm8a/s1600/4.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When Malcom McDowell leaps up... Then pauses...</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Xz0VvvS5fzYW2Ygm4E89CgXT8GqptbpoF8q3BgYUt29bEUxouxMUqkyaxkzMLsE1n-XyVertIHUXlN35gyejwN-br9dRFu63TiHl9G9wB8AyY5jL5pJ_w1VMY06NXmPHiX2dosJrGCif/s1600/5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Xz0VvvS5fzYW2Ygm4E89CgXT8GqptbpoF8q3BgYUt29bEUxouxMUqkyaxkzMLsE1n-XyVertIHUXlN35gyejwN-br9dRFu63TiHl9G9wB8AyY5jL5pJ_w1VMY06NXmPHiX2dosJrGCif/s1600/5.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then strikes and...</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_H54GeR30miPFT2J8xRVcScLgI7-pZpFRCy_UKGhX85AEFxXPJIh5gi3HA6ZblmuaA-pziF5-I5pMZ8vYmc21Z4ysKBucGHLhD_Cxz3zEWIguzeQPyBcch8cymE4PdX2kL_z3PcGoCCI/s1600/6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_H54GeR30miPFT2J8xRVcScLgI7-pZpFRCy_UKGhX85AEFxXPJIh5gi3HA6ZblmuaA-pziF5-I5pMZ8vYmc21Z4ysKBucGHLhD_Cxz3zEWIguzeQPyBcch8cymE4PdX2kL_z3PcGoCCI/s1600/6.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To see how it all turns out...</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VdwqXnYXbMe5dbahrUCi9FT5X0vRvxJ7p4xRTiaqDiXvQOZY2sHRfRC_1IuxZS1vzLvsqit1Su1QQ6IdxxuMORtUsRO7ZaozjLYHp8Q-I04UPDKk0IVYsgmAKUsCOwg0KmA5hjO8jRzR/s1600/11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VdwqXnYXbMe5dbahrUCi9FT5X0vRvxJ7p4xRTiaqDiXvQOZY2sHRfRC_1IuxZS1vzLvsqit1Su1QQ6IdxxuMORtUsRO7ZaozjLYHp8Q-I04UPDKk0IVYsgmAKUsCOwg0KmA5hjO8jRzR/s1600/11.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Bruce-Willis/dp/0767817761/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352878450&sr=8-1&keywords=sunset+james+garner">BUY SUNSET ON AMAZON</a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwznPvD3afAlX-lXCotBh-n-ZvkQKU9NKRJckMdJF1FK1UqStCFrlV9JjsBTu_aBAro9QzL1FaQOtK3zMkNtIXkVLzfwCIJmNpMx4uBT3fEE9IbL6HgkLr3Cd69RF6H49c4bb0gntq7JE-/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwznPvD3afAlX-lXCotBh-n-ZvkQKU9NKRJckMdJF1FK1UqStCFrlV9JjsBTu_aBAro9QzL1FaQOtK3zMkNtIXkVLzfwCIJmNpMx4uBT3fEE9IbL6HgkLr3Cd69RF6H49c4bb0gntq7JE-/s1600/15.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BONUS PICS: Malcolm McDowell in BRITANNIA HOSPITAL (1982)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4yMbmCCTSdhEa-PrHpyCawsGyL19fpyidcVbYInOQIO8oAKgVkkhwVVmK7rkIrpDprBN8ao8YDt3QVnbRsEnCn-q4T1jS1YG3W264F1TFBNUEknz5pVQv8vsHZEECcMKNVIpOCy6iApt/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4yMbmCCTSdhEa-PrHpyCawsGyL19fpyidcVbYInOQIO8oAKgVkkhwVVmK7rkIrpDprBN8ao8YDt3QVnbRsEnCn-q4T1jS1YG3W264F1TFBNUEknz5pVQv8vsHZEECcMKNVIpOCy6iApt/s1600/16.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gaunt Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis in BRITANNIA HOSPITAL (1982)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLpxcj9JJwXg2UaoF2bKxrl-KEfJtOzkoRd5cWMuPkI7Gpun9jgSlLLS4bXtnjkar1Odn0CQxbxo-59FDy4GCK3EAgBxgacvNd83Sb37Fv45vVYrD6ba3kpx9kXW4yaH5vxVtdmW3KY4C/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLpxcj9JJwXg2UaoF2bKxrl-KEfJtOzkoRd5cWMuPkI7Gpun9jgSlLLS4bXtnjkar1Odn0CQxbxo-59FDy4GCK3EAgBxgacvNd83Sb37Fv45vVYrD6ba3kpx9kXW4yaH5vxVtdmW3KY4C/s1600/17.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Britannia-Hospital-Leonard-Rossiter/dp/B00005R241/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353915796&sr=8-1&keywords=BRITANNIA+HOSPITAL">BUY BRITANNIA HOSPITAL ON DVD</a></td></tr> </tbody></table>

bruce willis, eighties, malcolm mcdowell

MALCOLM McDOWELL SPOOKS A BREEZY SUNSET

Malcolm McDowell bleeding in SUNSET You never quite know where CLOCKWORK ORANGE icon MALCOLM McDOWELL will turn up. After the Stanley K...

REVIEW OF LOOPER

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDC6QQ5FaJZ1azoJRqEgKrX97T_PT6cOOTwOm4X5KMV-T1O-HanX0-Zoc97XSwkmQfUVdhrsRiQulg-5IN-FHYIKzpzBGApZghgaMF8DdnYmc8g_33WLdptE1bY3kvnWrrUzuipRw47VVp/s1600/Bruce+Willis+Looper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDC6QQ5FaJZ1azoJRqEgKrX97T_PT6cOOTwOm4X5KMV-T1O-HanX0-Zoc97XSwkmQfUVdhrsRiQulg-5IN-FHYIKzpzBGApZghgaMF8DdnYmc8g_33WLdptE1bY3kvnWrrUzuipRw47VVp/s640/Bruce+Willis+Looper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Any story dealing with time travel must have a ton of exposition to make things clear. But what LOOPER provides is, once we know the situation… of a future where bad guys are sent back in time where hit men quickly take them out… it’s all about Bruce Willis, as the older version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Joe, and his quest to… set things straight in the future.<br /> <br /> But before this we have Joe’s workaday life as a hired gun – known as a Looper – and some of the politics involved within the department, run by a bearded (and one particular scene-stealing) Jeff Daniels. It’s when Willis returns to the past and Levitt can’t pull the trigger – that’s when the race is on.<br /> <br /> What’s at first confusing clears up when we follow Levitt’s life till he ages into Willis, who lives with his wife and, after a bloodbath by a vicious crime lord, Willis, back in the present, has to find this kingpin... who isn't quite powerful yet... Or is he? Here’s where the movie, entering love interest Emily Blunt as an independent farmer with her son, turns into a bionic version of THE OMEN, and the disbelief gets tougher to suspend. But when you center on young and old Joe battling each other – trying not to be killed by their vicious employers – the backstory doesn’t matter. It’s really about the action and a reliable performance by Bruce Willis, who looks great for his age and can still get around, and especially Levitt… Despite having to pull off a Willis imitation for the storyline he’s his own person – this is really his film.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

2012, bruce willis, emily blunt, jeff daniels, joseph gordon-levitt, science-fiction, thriller, time travel

REVIEW OF LOOPER

year: 2012 cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis rating: ***1/2 Any story dealing with time travel must have a ton of exposition to m...

MOONRISE KINGDOM

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr0AIDNaX2zuoiJZqP94F5S4ZyDF2yGt_ugk0n1rV_wgo0F9WIZ05C4H5hpcWO0Dheq4Zr17cPePVYHb5kWwxhaLoEj_8tkYjf-9OZRsCep9Mzd51nffF9a6SD6WEH5pFDKyW_sDW44H2/s1600/wesandersonmoonrisekingdom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr0AIDNaX2zuoiJZqP94F5S4ZyDF2yGt_ugk0n1rV_wgo0F9WIZ05C4H5hpcWO0Dheq4Zr17cPePVYHb5kWwxhaLoEj_8tkYjf-9OZRsCep9Mzd51nffF9a6SD6WEH5pFDKyW_sDW44H2/w640-h387/wesandersonmoonrisekingdom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>title:</b> MOONRISE KINGDOM <b>year:</b> 2012 <b>cast:</b> Bruce Willis, Bill Murray <b>rating:</b> *</td></tr> </tbody></table> There's an Orson Welles quote: "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations." Well you can overdose... or go overboard... on just about anything, including quirkiness. And Wes Anderson piles on his patented absurd creativity but only as far as the symmetrically flamboyant images go: from a neat looking lighthouse to a tree-house dangling high up on a thin trunk, it's all about the visuals.<br /> <br /> Set in the gorgeous New England outdoors, the story (using the word plot would be a stretch) centers on two young lovers. One, the boy, is a disassociated orphan in a camp troop and the girl lives across the water in a nice house with stone cold parents. The kids are probably the worst child actors ever – or could it be Anderson’s intention to make them so robotic? Perhaps their lack of energy brings out the gorgeous scenery around them. Either way it’s difficult to feel for their Romeo and Juliet plight, traversing the land with cop Bruce Willis, scout master Ed Norton and his troop on their trail. Both are supposedly discovering true love but we never really understand their attraction in the first place... Though it’d take real actors and a decent script for that sort of character arc.<br /> <br /> The pallid boy wears glasses and represents the hipster movement in rudimentary form, bent doing things his own way. And even after being captured and taken to the main camp run by Harvey Keitel, then helped to escape and being reunited during a formidable lightning storm, artsy director Wes Anderson provides the usual aesthetic pleasures his fans expect (and accept) yet there’s nothing more going on: style trumps story at every turn. Even Bill Murray lacks soul and purpose. Now that’s a feat in itself.

2012, bill murray, bruce willis, comedy, coming-of-age, edward norton, quirky, wes anderson

MOONRISE KINGDOM

title: MOONRISE KINGDOM year: 2012 cast: Bruce Willis, Bill Murray rating: * There's an Orson Welles quote: "The enemy of a...

PLANET TERROR

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejOD87Pz2R-wD2iHmYlR6L9hJ-HQK5Nf0RbjQbTinLNfiJpOY9AEyPw7dZOK-YmG7p_oVAORtP-0FrPGpneO_3Tp5RO_Xpbl9h2u8m-GQzdva1X_7Z83aeC6EaTI22PctfzHR2fWpOjo/s1600/936full-planet-terror-poster.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617955474788765634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejOD87Pz2R-wD2iHmYlR6L9hJ-HQK5Nf0RbjQbTinLNfiJpOY9AEyPw7dZOK-YmG7p_oVAORtP-0FrPGpneO_3Tp5RO_Xpbl9h2u8m-GQzdva1X_7Z83aeC6EaTI22PctfzHR2fWpOjo/s200/936full-planet-terror-poster.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 119px; height: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> PLANET TERROR <span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>2007 <span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Rose McGowan, Josh Brolin, Jeff Fahey, Freddy Rodriguez, Bruce Willis <span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>***1/2 The first (and best) segment of GRINDHOUSE, teaming Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino doing their own "cheap" horror films. Plot centers on a group of survivors during an outbreak brought back from Iraq. The military is at fault as it's a send-up of the zombie genre... yet it also stands on its own merits. The characters are fantastic; standouts being Josh Brolin as an evil doctor turned "sicko" and his beautiful, beaten, closet-lesbian doctor wife. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHopqsA0qVoKMK6nlA_T23mOK02SV2PKV9W2AFPvr0CHSM_hIsVon0gPjv6UySZEjwoulbeOWXDuxih05l8ua1f-XxNoraQTDJSaYBCFpdZs8JIgFD_MQprNwPfLLOPE-VIFyxY0vWsQ/s1600/planet-terror-01.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617955539788713218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHopqsA0qVoKMK6nlA_T23mOK02SV2PKV9W2AFPvr0CHSM_hIsVon0gPjv6UySZEjwoulbeOWXDuxih05l8ua1f-XxNoraQTDJSaYBCFpdZs8JIgFD_MQprNwPfLLOPE-VIFyxY0vWsQ/s200/planet-terror-01.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" /></a>You'll see a lot in the promotion with Rose McGowan as a stripper with a machine gun leg, but this happens in the last five minutes. Freddy Rodriguez makes a decent Clint Eastwood-type. Jeff Fahey is also quite good as a sloppy, tough cafe owner as is Michael Biehn as his sheriff brother and a darkly hilarious cameo by Nicky Katt (who's brilliant in THE LIMEY).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6wRX48WFx2xhlDbUdCHBLmuag5vMtU_H6-6ko0FxRQKvq4M9mrjXIZ9MOlpFsAEnoIDFsO9ZNybfnZbbuMv_0GXhHDKlzAQEVF_HDnJNh9FqiD0NQidqRufiPK_PGzlYoJBmif5TVvA/s1600/planet%252Bterror.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617955654419870402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6wRX48WFx2xhlDbUdCHBLmuag5vMtU_H6-6ko0FxRQKvq4M9mrjXIZ9MOlpFsAEnoIDFsO9ZNybfnZbbuMv_0GXhHDKlzAQEVF_HDnJNh9FqiD0NQidqRufiPK_PGzlYoJBmif5TVvA/s200/planet%252Bterror.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" /></a> Not to forget Bruce Willis, Naveen Andrews and Quentin Tarantino making effective cameos. Robert Rodriguez never lets up with action but still finds time for story, and the character-development is placed perfectly within the running around, gun-fights, car chases, and mega-slayings. Bad sound, screen blotches, and missing reels are purposely added to cement the GRINDHOUSE experience (theaters that'd play several B movies in a row using cheap projectors). This makes little-to-no sense since it's a big budget CGI film, but the flaws, contrived or otherwise, don't hinder this rollercoaster ride: they only enhance it.

bruce willis, ensemble, horror anthology, josh brolin, quentin tarantino, robert rodriguez, stripper, zeroes

PLANET TERROR

title: PLANET TERROR year: 2007 cast: Rose McGowan, Josh Brolin, Jeff Fahey, Freddy Rodriguez, Bruce Willis rating: ***1/2 The first (and ...

RED

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKld6ELgE2KPsnk18Cu3zjaFBcecACN14zLY8fFbtvsdLcZXkli1QV66bRwktTXiu_94F2XSYqrXrm_u_ugaU20q-OpwT8X14FC-SBix8GEZbQ4UQ9hFFZzO1NsFf6LYDhAz4TqvC9pfY/s1600/RED.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568435304820374290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKld6ELgE2KPsnk18Cu3zjaFBcecACN14zLY8fFbtvsdLcZXkli1QV66bRwktTXiu_94F2XSYqrXrm_u_ugaU20q-OpwT8X14FC-SBix8GEZbQ4UQ9hFFZzO1NsFf6LYDhAz4TqvC9pfY/s200/RED.jpg" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 122px; float: right; height: 200px;" /></a><strong>title:</strong> RED<br /><strong>year:</strong> 2010<br /><strong>cast:</strong> Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren<br /><strong>rating:</strong> ***<br /><br />For anyone who says there's too much over-the-top, unrealistic action involving characters more like superheroes than humans, another can say, "But this is a comedy satirizing bombastic action films." And for those who say it isn't very funny, a response could be, "But it kicks ass." Well it does kick ass, but the characters are introduced as if we already know them: giving the feel of an anticipated sequel with people who already earned their stature, so there's not much development. Bruce Willis is good doing his usual, but he's hindered by love interest Mary-Louise Parker, playing the reluctant "I can't believe I'm in this situation" love-interest to an exasperatingly annoying level. John Malkovich, channeling Murdoch from THE A-TEAM, tries too hard as the comic relief; Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren are way too endearing; Karl Urban makes a fine antagonist, but an old pudgy Richard Dreyfuss is misplaced as the main villain. And although there are terrific moments within, the entirety doesn't always gel: feeling like a spectacular highlights show of a big game... Yet the <em>plays </em>that work, do work well.

action, blockbuster, bruce willis, helen mirren, john malkovich, morgan freeman, tens

RED

title: RED year: 2010 cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren rating: *** For anyone who says there's too m...