COENS' WESTERN ANTHOLOGY 'THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS'

<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/AVvXsEhV8tUxyJmHuCO7JZcL3E0rQy04wlRGtgIIR34QNs1YmRa08bW1uFJHrG1BAh1tvTYcYOvu782W_uGKpfFo2Ki-DczUrRn-qhRcZB8qcGBoDCiVaAvTamBF1Gb4v4hdazFG7zLblxf4dY0z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-11-16+at+9.29.17+AM+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1185" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8tUxyJmHuCO7JZcL3E0rQy04wlRGtgIIR34QNs1YmRa08bW1uFJHrG1BAh1tvTYcYOvu782W_uGKpfFo2Ki-DczUrRn-qhRcZB8qcGBoDCiVaAvTamBF1Gb4v4hdazFG7zLblxf4dY0z/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-11-16+at+9.29.17+AM+2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 2018</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> A more fitting title for The Coen Brothers' Western Anthology <u>THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS</u> would be <i>Six Ways to Die in the West</i>. Not only is each vignette about death, but the misleading title refers to the first story and that's it. Maybe if Tim Blake Nelson's singing cowboy was the blanket narrator it would make more sense...<br> <br> Then again, he's so annoying, maybe not. In fact, SCRUGGS is one of several of the main characters that doesn't only die but deserves death: The hybrid of a THREE AMIGOS style gussied-up Amigo, Pinhead from FREAKS, Jim Varney's Ernest and Kermit the Frog, the entire point of a surprisingly lethal crooner <i>who only looks nerdy</i> steps upon the second story featuring James Franco as a scruffy bank robber, titled <u>NEAR ALGODONES</u>. In this case, Franco's outlaw loner only <i>seems</i> more resilient than a timid and chubby bank teller played by nerd's nerd Stephen Root. There's some potential in the sparse-shot, Spaghetti Western tableau, but like the first story, it ends before it really begins (and concludes with an absolutely gorgeous actress, Grace LeSueur, in a quick but very important cameo)... <br>

2018, action, anthology, coen brothers, grace lesueur, james franco, liam neeson, netflix, new, stephen root, tom waits, western

COENS' WESTERN ANTHOLOGY 'THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS'

Year of Release: 2018 A more fitting title for The Coen Brothers' Western Anthology THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS would be Six Ways ...

FOUR PARAGRAPHS ON THE EPIC CLASSIC OF 'SCHINDLER'S LIST'

<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/AVvXsEhE4Kz26xwJgybF0aHwSlWfZvFkthoylUAX0Ske1dqKELcz9iv1yd46P_VSQ6qOR5IvTixfqnhDm8mc-WxN1LrLpE2WR7W7UnVV6iLkPNECi3pziLsFrtL1u7DEMUbK5ul8fbDk6jJOtM9J/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-05-28+at+3.36.35+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1015" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4Kz26xwJgybF0aHwSlWfZvFkthoylUAX0Ske1dqKELcz9iv1yd46P_VSQ6qOR5IvTixfqnhDm8mc-WxN1LrLpE2WR7W7UnVV6iLkPNECi3pziLsFrtL1u7DEMUbK5ul8fbDk6jJOtM9J/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-05-28+at+3.36.35+AM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List YEAR: 1993</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Especially before it gets really moving and downright tear-jerking, particularly with the girl-in-red and other exploitation (in a necessary fashion) sequences, SCHINDLER'S LIST is a brilliantly directed film by Steven Spielberg like Francis Ford Coppola's first two GODFATHER movies...<br> <br> In an opposite manner, the theory of an important subject matter more meaningful than the story... or making the story better for its meaningful purpose... doesn't apply to Spielberg's holocaust classic that, while epic in scope, centers tightly on specific characters, from Liam Neeson's titular Oskar Schindler to Ralph Fienne's worse-than-your-average-evil-Nazi Nazi, Goath (his deserved Best Supporting Actor robbed by Tommy Lee Jones's mainstream FUGITIVE role), which is one of the greatest performances of all time, seemingly inspired by Orson Welles's Harry Lime in THE THIRD MAN: both monsters humanly suffering the effects of an annoying cold when first (physically <i>and</i> audibly) introduced... And the nightmarish scene where a shirtless Goath takes idyllic sniper potshots at random Jews working around the camp, while managing to smoke a morning cigarette without use of his hands, is like watching Satan imitating Keith Richards, contentedly basking in his own perdition between encores and never ridding of his smoke...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <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/AVvXsEjP1zANLT8C-Er-p2mtPcYhLNCFZwTJ1LStY74WRfPVhWKcZhtami0dTAxeDDGLOFZNK1WHUzKrCpAg0FGBu6W6lJ-aVZAk6el-lPgAxoeX-WMMGfnUXnw9re2mVEy-3mJo_t8LTbV8DLDA/s1600/schindlers-list.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="663" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1zANLT8C-Er-p2mtPcYhLNCFZwTJ1LStY74WRfPVhWKcZhtami0dTAxeDDGLOFZNK1WHUzKrCpAg0FGBu6W6lJ-aVZAk6el-lPgAxoeX-WMMGfnUXnw9re2mVEy-3mJo_t8LTbV8DLDA/s400/schindlers-list.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ralph Fiennes in one of many infamous moments LISTScore: *****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Meanwhile, any writeup of LIST can name names of actors since the whole cast fits perfectly within Spielberg's detailed, intimate framework: But Ben Kingsley's meek and mellow "sidekick" to Schindler's alpha male, womanizing, selfish Nazi entrepreneur turned lifesaving hero could only be so effectively peripheral by an actor who can (also) carry a picture with equal strength, and their side-side-characters are just as important...<br> <br> Of the inmates, around six are centered on, from married couples, young and old, to children, girls and boys, all creating a desperate though somehow hopeful atmosphere within a closely huddled, unbreakable, inseparable and even unimaginable bond (there's even some humor, from everyone including the villain) through the horrendous and palpable, true life tragedy that scriptwriter Steven Zaillian should receive equal significance along with Spielberg (who has failed without proper scripts). Thankfully the finished product, except maybe around fifteen minutes that could've used some trimming during the "I'll miss you most of all Scarecrow" epilogue (the hand-in-hand walking shot straight out of the Clark Gable disaster epic SAN FRANCISCO), makes SCHINDLER'S LIST a great Movie and not just a great Important History Lesson.<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/AVvXsEghTZwmvIaBkQUHyN-7-FPap5x6UsdgNB4CMIhmsM8IHHXlbYQVjtW8PKCYOu164h9eNBX7ZILce2OLoOaWYFtS6qcOy031AjxRuu9m4Hcie3TChgVkTXEPe9fXlIGDbYLg8Xg1hfofms6d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.28.40+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTZwmvIaBkQUHyN-7-FPap5x6UsdgNB4CMIhmsM8IHHXlbYQVjtW8PKCYOu164h9eNBX7ZILce2OLoOaWYFtS6qcOy031AjxRuu9m4Hcie3TChgVkTXEPe9fXlIGDbYLg8Xg1hfofms6d/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.28.40+AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Magdalena Dandourian is hot enough to get arrested for from SCHINDLER'S LIST</u></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/AVvXsEgcHYoQXipFJaNzv7yNIb28tnle69Fo3vZ_IHqnjbe1PHTjEfqMqgE36ulsTxVdeo-PNyjjsY5QywQk5LExHPUWiWKjT3exhV9gr9o2GFQnGVF7dTQWRKPlbqhU_Ca5UemJnfBQjt-Z0xS1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.12.09+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHYoQXipFJaNzv7yNIb28tnle69Fo3vZ_IHqnjbe1PHTjEfqMqgE36ulsTxVdeo-PNyjjsY5QywQk5LExHPUWiWKjT3exhV9gr9o2GFQnGVF7dTQWRKPlbqhU_Ca5UemJnfBQjt-Z0xS1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.12.09+AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Magdalena Dandourian as the girl anyone would kiss from SCHINDLER'S LIST</u></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/AVvXsEg3xIdM30Tqd3OalxVyLLu3mA8o145MpH_RNGFgN92SXe4WK87Xi3R51iZoT8VVMDI2bUTPRISj0kkBboBMets5lzPg5JGfTg2DQdfHV4p_nGo5p0MxEC-lhngr_jzpT9Llm0fD6XEy_0IS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.07.38+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xIdM30Tqd3OalxVyLLu3mA8o145MpH_RNGFgN92SXe4WK87Xi3R51iZoT8VVMDI2bUTPRISj0kkBboBMets5lzPg5JGfTg2DQdfHV4p_nGo5p0MxEC-lhngr_jzpT9Llm0fD6XEy_0IS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.07.38+AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ralph Fiennes and Embeth Davidtz "Is this the face of a rat" from SCHINDLER'S LIST</u></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/AVvXsEjGEAgMPy2hu0k_u-jpbDp2wXMQJQPGb9udm01qOxa0JSd-DhdJeVqEc84eEVYfUTNWXxqrO1pfncE0kXivNGAL96bc0btK-HdMG48P534FxdebgUF9rcwF3MEPWjaCVA37nsIv3Xx4FNPS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.09.29+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEAgMPy2hu0k_u-jpbDp2wXMQJQPGb9udm01qOxa0JSd-DhdJeVqEc84eEVYfUTNWXxqrO1pfncE0kXivNGAL96bc0btK-HdMG48P534FxdebgUF9rcwF3MEPWjaCVA37nsIv3Xx4FNPS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+3.09.29+AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ralph Fiennes and Embeth Davidtz "Is this the face of a rat" from SCHINDLER'S LIST</u></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/AVvXsEhxid0jOKptx9Vi5InSVWLLS22KiK_PmKoNA4YGRGyZd0KSYr2vzw41e-s_RhtjRxPKKBTxZ0J14rZNOn2-Wmc3RpL_oC81Naw7hyphenhyphen8xxc0EQPi4oUQC5qh9Yin87vgfW1kgMYxiLMjaVDDi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+1.35.19+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxid0jOKptx9Vi5InSVWLLS22KiK_PmKoNA4YGRGyZd0KSYr2vzw41e-s_RhtjRxPKKBTxZ0J14rZNOn2-Wmc3RpL_oC81Naw7hyphenhyphen8xxc0EQPi4oUQC5qh9Yin87vgfW1kgMYxiLMjaVDDi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+1.35.19+AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Liam Neeson's title character testing secretaries is a tough time in Schindler's List</u></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/AVvXsEgvS7yIlL8iKlGqnr2BOgZBnHbA3DhTECkkQ1CfD8cv9CO796g0KqcupQs8Eh32OUfZ8ZAC01BzCuqgI7hdUT5flWB9fIS1Lr1tCBVUtxGb8EyKZh24xRokEUlO8Q9POV-FeQ37chGXZBca/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+1.34.57+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvS7yIlL8iKlGqnr2BOgZBnHbA3DhTECkkQ1CfD8cv9CO796g0KqcupQs8Eh32OUfZ8ZAC01BzCuqgI7hdUT5flWB9fIS1Lr1tCBVUtxGb8EyKZh24xRokEUlO8Q9POV-FeQ37chGXZBca/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-12-22+at+1.34.57+AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>But the most talented one, who can actually type, is far from his type... Schindler's List</u></td></tr> </tbody></table>

liam neeson, nineties, ralph fiennes, steven spielberg, war

FOUR PARAGRAPHS ON THE EPIC CLASSIC OF 'SCHINDLER'S LIST'

Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List YEAR: 1993 Especially before it gets really moving and downright tear-jerking, parti...

LIAM NEESON & LARRY DRAKE IN DARKMAN

<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/AVvXsEg487qKhj9Nch6iKvWJ6C9kG8Zh0_k8Jdf51wiM_na9KFyPvGmxThswbivMqqjBVbCu818f7V9VTTeYjv56RHJPZzx0-pOnPtwvo_UECSGWvIg8SDF7S-O4jxcRwkqjL6O-ljVE355nKok/s1600/0-DARK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg487qKhj9Nch6iKvWJ6C9kG8Zh0_k8Jdf51wiM_na9KFyPvGmxThswbivMqqjBVbCu818f7V9VTTeYjv56RHJPZzx0-pOnPtwvo_UECSGWvIg8SDF7S-O4jxcRwkqjL6O-ljVE355nKok/s1600/0-DARK.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Rest in Peace to Character-Actor Larry Drake who made the best uses out of his character Durant in DARKMAN</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> There are a few connections right off the bat concerning DARKMAN, which seems like a morbid, twisted vigilante movie but is more a chilling gangster/noir as the very opening mirrors a scene in director Sam Raimi's good friends and sometimes partners, Joel and Ethan Coen and their crime masterpiece, MILLER'S CROSSING, as a line-up of...<br>

gangster, larry drake, liam neeson, neo noir, revenge, sam raimi, superhero, vigilante

LIAM NEESON & LARRY DRAKE IN DARKMAN

Rest in Peace to Character-Actor Larry Drake who made the best uses out of his character Durant in DARKMAN There are a few connections r...

GATHERED MOSS: GEORGE LUCAS STAR WARS PREQUEL TRILOGY

<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/AVvXsEjWM_ocHE4tNWpsx3Dwy9Fc3I_tx9DabSfJl6pLPBIyTFHmO-R670B0rtvdrkMXf22tbXnbPXvtqzHR3Khp9p9fjWr7eQP26eOftyEz6RfQfsdX9vdu9qkXOicOK1b2YVfTdvEz4aGuJHc/s1600/1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM_ocHE4tNWpsx3Dwy9Fc3I_tx9DabSfJl6pLPBIyTFHmO-R670B0rtvdrkMXf22tbXnbPXvtqzHR3Khp9p9fjWr7eQP26eOftyEz6RfQfsdX9vdu9qkXOicOK1b2YVfTdvEz4aGuJHc/s320/1.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy from 1999 to 2005</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>THE PHANTOM MENACE:</u> This is supposed to be the first STAR WARS when we all know the groundbreaking classic STAR WARS (which is the sole title) came out in 1977...<br> <br> And wasn't, till later on, renamed EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, which, unlike cool titles like EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI, created to exist on their own merit, sounds like the name of a life-affirming Movie of the Week, or a tagline to one: "In Jenny's bitter life, there was finally... A NEW HOPE!"<br>

ewan mcgregor, franchise, george lucas, liam neeson, natalie portman, prequel, science-fiction, star wars

GATHERED MOSS: GEORGE LUCAS STAR WARS PREQUEL TRILOGY

The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy from 1999 to 2005 THE PHANTOM MENACE: This is supposed to be the first STAR WARS when we all know the gro...

LIAM NEESON & ED HARRIS IN 'RUN ALL NIGHT'

<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/AVvXsEgP3gK-6VxrSoKpwPKPWyF6l1MMaoxgvxLJc3dX_UEUvVhOqUNVZoSmyroio0Y3KiA2Y5l6UHvpPEcIj4bmWHMZqAO3jFSlz_rUIRKTWaRZ_9V_sBaphvkQYgnD-izYv0N_mqpt7bDj7Hc/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" 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/AVvXsEgP3gK-6VxrSoKpwPKPWyF6l1MMaoxgvxLJc3dX_UEUvVhOqUNVZoSmyroio0Y3KiA2Y5l6UHvpPEcIj4bmWHMZqAO3jFSlz_rUIRKTWaRZ_9V_sBaphvkQYgnD-izYv0N_mqpt7bDj7Hc/s320/Picture+2.png" width="236" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 rating: **</td></tr> </tbody></table> There’s a beginning to THE GODFATHER… a very large wedding. Then there’s the point where the movie <i>really</i> starts…<br /> <br /> As soon as Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone refuses to bring drugs into the business, and his not very business-minded son questions the decision – the dam bursts. And in RUN ALL NIGHT, logical mob boss Shawn Maguire, played by Ed Harris, has his own reasons to… say no to drugs. The rejection puts his own instigating son in jeopardy… But not for long.<br /> <br /> The plot is simple enough. Shawn keeps around his old friend Jimmy Conlon, a hitman with more hang-ups than bullets. In this role, Liam Neeson takes down-and-out to the extreme. Which only means he'll be that much more resilient when the tables turn. This happens when Maguire’s son Danny, who couldn’t be a bigger jerk, kills the guys who were gonna kill him. And Conlon’s son, a limo driver for the deceased, happens to be in the same vicinity. Long story short, Harris wants to kill our ragged hero’s boy as revenge for his own kid's death. And at this point, Action-genre Neeson comes alive... sort of. <br /> <br /> Ironically, with such an energetic title, there’s hardly any pace at all. Despite the camera zooming in frantic beelines, taking us throughout New York City like a Heat-seeking missile, the suspenseful urgency on the ground is limited. Meanwhile, Mike, the son being protected, is so annoyingly reluctant to kick into gear that you’ll want to scream “Get over it already!” after the 100th time he gets his butt saved, and <i>still </i>complains about it. That’s an exaggeration, sure; but the perpetual mopey grudge against pop slows down an already weary vehicle. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, Rebel, </b><u><b>Droid, Sith</b>. </u><br /> <br />

2015, ed harris, liam neeson, neo noir

LIAM NEESON & ED HARRIS IN 'RUN ALL NIGHT'

2015 rating: ** There’s a beginning to THE GODFATHER… a very large wedding. Then there’s the point where the movie really starts… As ...

LIAM NEESON IN TAKEN 3 AKA TAK3N

<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/AVvXsEibwAdWmU-FmoZ06vZPHtOHm2A7R_cfQ1FAP-iD6WKB_rcCqOS7Xwgut-UFsw6AlDEhTnmnTsqdi7SBzhF_RL_s___Btxl3j-QTgmr_IpqGRAFn9dB5I2tHTNv6UMTX5gxnCdLQfmyENPE/s1600/Picture+2.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwAdWmU-FmoZ06vZPHtOHm2A7R_cfQ1FAP-iD6WKB_rcCqOS7Xwgut-UFsw6AlDEhTnmnTsqdi7SBzhF_RL_s___Btxl3j-QTgmr_IpqGRAFn9dB5I2tHTNv6UMTX5gxnCdLQfmyENPE/s1600/Picture+2.png" width="111" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">2015 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills has gone through the ringer twice already, and more than earned the respect of his daughter and wife… You’d think. But now, buying Maggie Grace’s Kim the wrong birthday gift and turned down for a date with his ex, it seems that life goes on. <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> After a melodramatic prologue liken to a nighttime soap, things go bad once again. Which is good for the audience only this time, no one is TAKEN, at first. Actually, this should be called MISTAKEN as our hero, an ex CIA operative with more tricks than Houdini, is falsely accused of murdering… well… let’s just say Famke Janssen won’t be in the next installment. <br /> <br /> Set entirely in America, the plot involves Mills evading and escaping and evading cops so vapid they should be Keystone. And while Forest Whitaker’s Detective Franck Dotzler is an exception, no one can keep up with a guy who headlines his own popular action franchise.  <br /> <br /> TAKEN 3 is a decent programmer maintaining a nice steady beat. Although when the core villain gets revealed, the climax is so prolonged you’ll wish our hero had more things to figure out before the title (and turnout) becomes all-too-predictably literal. <b>OVERALL RANK: Jedi, <u>Rebel</u>, Droid, Sith.  </b>

2015, action, famke janssen, franchise, liam neeson, maggie grace, sequel

LIAM NEESON IN TAKEN 3 AKA TAK3N

2015 rating: **1/2 Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills has gone through the ringer twice already, and more than earned the respect of his daughter...

LIAM NEESON IN A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

<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/AVvXsEiW5b1_NfYOceecRMxdt-cvt9gf1IomR9PRtl0gdYK-fe8IESexaOHSC5spnDqVwGL9CwMb8L0i3HjykqNDGJlq0R09gS5AjGBytL1Vy8OiSTdAW1kS5Zd8YS7lxqnYpyGXMgpva66aU9Q/s1600/web_1850x1040_header.jpg" imageanchor="1" 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/AVvXsEiW5b1_NfYOceecRMxdt-cvt9gf1IomR9PRtl0gdYK-fe8IESexaOHSC5spnDqVwGL9CwMb8L0i3HjykqNDGJlq0R09gS5AjGBytL1Vy8OiSTdAW1kS5Zd8YS7lxqnYpyGXMgpva66aU9Q/s320/web_1850x1040_header.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Beginning with the colorfully blood-drenched aesthetic reminiscent of PULP FICTION, and taking place during the early 90’s, Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films has now produced A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTSONES… <br /> <br /> After a gun-blasting prelude, we skip to 1999 where the grainy look wares off... But things get even more retro than the Y2K era: This is a throwback Neo-Film Noir about Neeson’s Matt Scudder, an ex cop turned private eye who converses with so many shady characters, he needn’t narrate at all.<br /> <br /> Eventually winding up at a cemetery where the title becomes literal, the murky atmosphere feels like a purgatory of sorts...<br /> <br /> From the time Matt’s given the task to find who killed a drug dealer's wife, he exists beneath the law and, detached from rules and mundane reality, is brought down to earth by a young black sidekick who invades Neeson’s brooding maverick persona, often turning TOMBSTONES into GUMSHOE AND A HALF: The pace is intentionally slow; like reading a potboiler dime novel but without too many twists or complicated red herrings. And by the end we're left with a main character far more intriguing than his quest. Which might have been intentional.

2014, liam neeson, neo noir, suspense

LIAM NEESON IN A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

year: 2014 rating: *** Beginning with the colorfully blood-drenched aesthetic reminiscent of PULP FICTION, and taking place during the e...

A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST

<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/AVvXsEhHV1ClH8Q7d1ti2q61nJgJhE4p-8VhAqxfFfj9wV-JrhLk6WSwen5U9ME1bcxkYKpOQrDeVdg1dyfjNsAeMiwLNesIF-QCP2bqr1J-njHw67ubVEu3vFTwc4SKJ2dzJoVVomUEXmuhUb4/s1600/a_million_ways_to_die_in_the_west_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/AVvXsEhHV1ClH8Q7d1ti2q61nJgJhE4p-8VhAqxfFfj9wV-JrhLk6WSwen5U9ME1bcxkYKpOQrDeVdg1dyfjNsAeMiwLNesIF-QCP2bqr1J-njHw67ubVEu3vFTwc4SKJ2dzJoVVomUEXmuhUb4/s320/a_million_ways_to_die_in_the_west_1.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> When Seth MacFarlane’s cowardly sheepherder, Albert, confesses that he’s more like the guy in the crowd who pokes fun at the hero’s shirt than he is the hero, it’s a clever line… But as the actual in-the-flesh star of his first fully live action motion picture, we’re gonna have to judge the man’s shirt ourselves…<br /> <br /> Seth gives great voice-overs but his on-screen acting style is more Jerry Seinfeld mellow than Woody Allen neurotic... Although, he tries his very best for the latter, rambling on and on about everything that bugs the living hell out of him. Meanwhile the side-characters, including Anna, played by Charlize Theron, and Liam Neeson’s dastardly outlaw Clinch, don't seem convinced they're in a comedy…Which isn't so bad since the performances in A MILLION WAYS TO DIE are laidback and natural, and Albert’s plight is involving: When his girlfriend dumps him for another guy, he prepares for a showdown but finds himself pitted against a much more lethal adversary, that being Neeson, the husband of his budding new love interest, Theron.<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/AVvXsEgZrVIdGuazsOmImoti8MidTY2zKkwe9pF31hY4Pvtus9DXqExDVqZbksHC5TFRah7o1cciSfq20ApEwzpAz_Ymwh7C8eDkXferQ5-ma6AMfrnGOH7Sgi0TvwSP3lmUOXhvm9tLmpOankY/s1600/a-million-ways-to-die-in-the-west-seth-macfarlane-poster.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrVIdGuazsOmImoti8MidTY2zKkwe9pF31hY4Pvtus9DXqExDVqZbksHC5TFRah7o1cciSfq20ApEwzpAz_Ymwh7C8eDkXferQ5-ma6AMfrnGOH7Sgi0TvwSP3lmUOXhvm9tLmpOankY/s200/a-million-ways-to-die-in-the-west-seth-macfarlane-poster.jpeg" width="137" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promo Poster</td></tr> </tbody></table> While the title supports all the action-driven gags in the first half, mostly seen in the trailers... including a guy getting his head crushed by a block of ice... the funniest (and/or cleverest) lines are observations about the 1800’s: like how no one smiles in photographs and examples of old school racism.<br /> <br /> These probably won’t evoke belly laughter like the sporadic bouts of "toilet humor" attempt to do, but each subtle quip provides McFarland a chance to philosophize in his own bold fashion, not letting any minority group or religious sect off the hook. <br /> <br /> With gun fights, gorgeous exterior shots, an intentionally melodramatic soundtrack and a bevy of expository montage sequences, the movie plays out like a bonafide Cowboy picture with jokes on the side... And if you paid to see an actual story unfold, that's fine enough. But if you’re expecting TED or something drop dead hilarious like BLAZING SADDLES... best look somewhere else, pilgrim. 

2014, charlize theron, comedy, liam neeson, matt clark, seth mcfarlane, western

A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST

year: 2014 rating: *** When Seth MacFarlane’s cowardly sheepherder, Albert, confesses that he’s more like the guy in the crowd who pokes...

LIAM NEESON STARRING IN NON-STOP

<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/AVvXsEhcDiwYjeO7ZamEI6zjb4WM7GP2_epwF2tHTjOZbODFcHzPv-tZFe10-F2zN7rz5bKhl7eWVEnD7P-frjYzc3bmQQfH_DKbBl0hf6DK5fq7pFZifDjrYgtwYf5rk-1sFimSSqbFgz-92Tg/s1600/non-stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDiwYjeO7ZamEI6zjb4WM7GP2_epwF2tHTjOZbODFcHzPv-tZFe10-F2zN7rz5bKhl7eWVEnD7P-frjYzc3bmQQfH_DKbBl0hf6DK5fq7pFZifDjrYgtwYf5rk-1sFimSSqbFgz-92Tg/s1600/non-stop.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;">year: 2014 rating: ***1/2</span></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #073763;"><i>There’s an old movie about an airplane hijacking where the villain writes down a warning on the bathroom mirror, with lipstick… </i></span></b><br /> <br /> Well things have surely progressed... Using modern technology, smart phones are faster than the eye, or two eyes: belonging to our flawed hero, Liam Neeson’s air marshal, Bill Marks, who from the very first frame of NON-STOP, as he gets out of his car at the airport with an expression of disgust hearing planes soaring overhead… We know right off the bat this is no happy camper, and flying isn’t his cup of tea...<br /> <br /> So by the time the plane’s in the air, and Bill begins getting threatening texts from someone on board, he’s already so high-strung it won’t take much to make him look guilty as sin. That’s how most of the film plays out, with Marks seeming like a hijacker while people are stealthily picked-off… as warned by the mystery texter… and our man has double duty of finding the killer and clearing his own maligned reputation.<br /> <br /> It’s risky giving away too much, especially in a movie promoted as a high-octane action thriller, the likes of DIE HARD, AIR FORCE ONE or even SNAKES ON A PLANE, when it’s more of a slowburn mystery – and Neeson isn’t the only cog in the wheel. After getting to know several characters, including Julianne Moore as a friendly passenger, a helpful techie and a scene-stealing New York cop (Corey Stoll), you’ll want the plane to land safely, and not only because of a frightened little girl who, as set up from the very beginning, is the person we’re supposed to invest all our hope in.<br /> <br /> The only downtime occurs whenever Neeson’s Marks has to figure out the next step – some maneuvers are cleverer than others. And after a while the <i>falsely accused</i> device gets  tiresome. Thankfully there’s an 11th hour threat that takes us past the paranoia. On the other hand, it’s a relief we didn’t have to bite our nails the entire ride, because an intriguing, fleshed-out, character-driven mystery is always the best time-filler, and NON-STOP is never boring.

action, corey stoll, hijack, julianne moore, liam neeson, mystery, suspense, thriller

LIAM NEESON STARRING IN NON-STOP

year: 2014 rating: ***1/2 There’s an old movie about an airplane hijacking where the villain writes down a warning on the bathroom mirro...

TAKEN 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/AVvXsEit2pMOFxYEG3visLe22vMv8eI7vFPF5KOoCbBoFY_Bs7G65unrUV2gynBEG9dUPE_J59Uc0ifcX2nm1ArEiWSY_7QoCHjPwyqRBGwbhjWwU1JkWxR3kMP1m5PqwPvB7IdAOuKjopqsOos4/s1600/Taken-2-starring-Liam-Neeson-Trailer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2pMOFxYEG3visLe22vMv8eI7vFPF5KOoCbBoFY_Bs7G65unrUV2gynBEG9dUPE_J59Uc0ifcX2nm1ArEiWSY_7QoCHjPwyqRBGwbhjWwU1JkWxR3kMP1m5PqwPvB7IdAOuKjopqsOos4/s640/Taken-2-starring-Liam-Neeson-Trailer.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2012 <b>cast:</b> Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace<b> rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> The first thing we learn in this TAKEN sequel is simple enough: a connected family member of those slain by Liam Neeson’s CIA operative Bryan Mills wants revenge. A no-brainer.<br /> <br /> Then we flash to Mills in Los Angeles – he’s a man who’s been through the ringer and it shows. Displaying a compulsive disorder he has but one agenda... to keep an eye on his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), who’s got a new boyfriend. Cut ahead: His ex wife and daughter meet him in Turkey and soon enough the action begins.<br /> <br /> This time Mills and his wife are kidnapped while Kim, holed up in the hotel while her father – via cell phone – provides tactical instructions: from throwing grenades out of windows to dodging assassins.<br /> <br /> Soon father and daughter are reunited and a car chase occurs with her driving – Kim, who couldn’t pass the driving test back home, is suddenly a cross between BULLITT and Popeye Doyle of THE FRENCH CONNECTION… But what's reality compared to farfetched escapist fun? Bryan, with a steel-trapped brain that can memorize sounds and think his way out of any situation, makes for such an involving cerebral hero all the bloody fights seem beneath him.<br /> <br /> And with so much action the time flies quickly: not a bad thing in an age of overlong, overcomplicated thrillers. The camera weaves in and out in dialog sequences but isn't too shaky during the brawls. While Neeson once again proves he’s got the chops of a younger cinema hero – but a third outing would be a big reach. 

2012, action, liam neeson, maggie grace, sequel

TAKEN 2

year: 2012 cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace rating: *** The first thing we learn in this TAKEN sequel is simple enough: a connected f...

BATTLESHIP

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_Aism_vLXg3F5DgU8Pp9_3z-NKn9tN98d5NAYbx9l3c5Gt9gRaMU9s8-GiMHNTLOCsCwb5BBoomJBEpSZITvfy5Fj2FbDgXGa_46uMRoadG7b3SeNVQTfHDAoa2_Mef0gYN65FHqizgP/s1600/battleship-poster-rihanna1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_Aism_vLXg3F5DgU8Pp9_3z-NKn9tN98d5NAYbx9l3c5Gt9gRaMU9s8-GiMHNTLOCsCwb5BBoomJBEpSZITvfy5Fj2FbDgXGa_46uMRoadG7b3SeNVQTfHDAoa2_Mef0gYN65FHqizgP/s400/battleship-poster-rihanna1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div> <b>title:</b> BATTLESHIP<br /> <b>year:</b> 2012<br /> <b>cast:</b> Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson<br /> <b>rating:</b> **1/2<br /> <br /> The classic board game BATTLESHIP is a lot more involving to play than watch. That being said, the worst parts are attempts to simulate the game itself: opponents stare at a grid and figure the other battleship's location to sink it. Switch that to a spacecraft and… well let’s not skip ahead. We begin with the typical slacker antihero; long-haired Alex Hopper (JOHN CARTER’s Taylor Kitsch) breaks the law to make sure gorgeous blond Samantha (Brooklyn Decker), who ordered a burrito in a bar after the grill closed, gets her wish by robbing a convenient store. His Navy Officer brother Stone tells him to shape up – we skip to the near future where Alex and Stone work within a fleet of battleships. Alex hasn’t changed much except for a haircut: he’s about to be thrown out of the Navy for his bad behavior… and his girlfriend’s Admiral father (Liam Neeson) might just wring his neck. At this point you’re thinking... what this particular hotshot needs is a real challenge – and he gets just that when aliens land in the ocean and eventually blow up (using exploding “pegs” like the game) all but one Destroyer – and now everything’s up to Alex, reluctantly in charge of the sole vessel. Here’s where the board game tactics take over. As the crew stare at a grid consul to figure the alien's underwater location, the silly fun is absent for much too long. But thankfully the third act pits the aliens against the “antique” Battleship U.S.S. Missouri, where a crew of real life old-timers help save the world (as AC/DC blares nonstop). Meanwhile, on land, real life war hero Gregory D. Gadson, who lost both his legs and uses metal prosthetics to walk, aids Hopper’s love interest in… doing something technical along with a nerdy comic relief. But even these scenes needed more cool stuff to happen and less cliché militaristic dialog. All in all it’s not a bad film – if you long for the retro "America Rules" kinda flick, this will do just fine. But even the most patriotic viewer might feel that flag waving a bit too much. Who knows, perhaps STRATEGO will get it right!

2012, action, brooklyn decker, liam neeson, taylor kitsch, war

BATTLESHIP

title: BATTLESHIP year: 2012 cast: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson rating: **1/2 The classic board game BATTLESHIP is a lot more invol...

WRATH OF THE TITANS

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8AsrNSpusEAqnepln8gHrv3iIgn1j-8vbDVANnvCkxJOhIer7b58ctP_Oo-9Jd3hyphenhyphenUjJywo9yABJMUrNLMA0rwK3iUC6vSBcY9XMLe5JIIAje7WblPPDuTdYIZOsJE-Q7IHg2ApEt4b5/s1600/wrath-of-the-titans-uk-trailer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8AsrNSpusEAqnepln8gHrv3iIgn1j-8vbDVANnvCkxJOhIer7b58ctP_Oo-9Jd3hyphenhyphenUjJywo9yABJMUrNLMA0rwK3iUC6vSBcY9XMLe5JIIAje7WblPPDuTdYIZOsJE-Q7IHg2ApEt4b5/s320/wrath-of-the-titans-uk-trailer.jpg" width="183" /></a></div><b>title:</b> WRATH OF THE TITANS<br /> <b>year: </b>2012<br /> <b>cast: </b>Sam Worthington<br /> <b>rating:</b> ** <br /> <br /> Although Greek Mythology has been around a long, long time before 1977’s STAR WARS, there are similarities in this tale of Perseus, the demi-god son of Zeus – the bearded God captured in the underworld by his evil son Ares and his brother, Hades. The STAR WARS connections include the basic plot of a rural fisherman (and a band of cronies) on a quest to rescue an important figure from the bad guys (farm boy rescuing a princess). And at the doorstop of the netherworld, a slab closes slowly – the good guys have just enough time to jump through to save their lives. After which they fall into a pit where, soon enough, the walls start closing in (trash compactor). Skipping to the finale battle with a giant Hell Beast, Kronos, Perseus and his black horse ride<i> into</i> the monstrosity where an exact hit, in a precise location, will destroy it completely (Death Star). Simularities between fathers and sons and power and greed, and all that other stuff could be in any myth or fable, but if you take away a quick battle with gigantic Cyclops men and a few bouts between Perseus and Ares, there’s not much here at all. And as one character tries to lighten the wrath with rogue comic-relief bravado, Toby Kebbell’s Arengor (Han Solo), slacker son of Poseidon, gets lost in a mesh of computer animation without a real plot. Perhaps THE MAZE OF HADES would have been a more befitting title – most of the time our heroes try getting into, and then out of, the underworld: replete with flashy but <i>unde</i>rwhelming 3D effects. And while the end provides a big bombastic battle to make up for the lack of story, there’s too much exposition about gods and titans and not enough cool little fights leading to the big one.

action, fantasy, liam neeson, sam worthington

WRATH OF THE TITANS

title: WRATH OF THE TITANS year: 2012 cast: Sam Worthington rating: ** Although Greek Mythology has been around a long, long time bef...

THE GREY

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYHaHzlcBxSlOmtsYso1yZpt2uLBAQubCh71nDjtYigaSUKduuc-um1ToZXi__4PXj2lSEaZoqvHxkz2T3WvbhtoDGTMDRSiSXA3MU7U9iYYDc1W6rX7jmNMyW0_9AkuI7-1J7yYLeVSb/s1600/liam-neeson-in-the-grey_550x369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYHaHzlcBxSlOmtsYso1yZpt2uLBAQubCh71nDjtYigaSUKduuc-um1ToZXi__4PXj2lSEaZoqvHxkz2T3WvbhtoDGTMDRSiSXA3MU7U9iYYDc1W6rX7jmNMyW0_9AkuI7-1J7yYLeVSb/s320/liam-neeson-in-the-grey_550x369.jpg" width="257" /></a></div> <b>title: </b>The Grey<br /> <b>year:</b> 2011<br /> <b>cast:</b> Liam Neeson<br /> <b>rating:</b> **<br /> <br /> Never has a cast of characters so deserved to suffer – they’re just begging for it... <br /> <br /> That being a rowdy group of oil drilling roughnecks in Alaska, and one man, played by a brooding Liam Neeson, hired to keep wolves off the premises who, after a plane crash, are all left vulnerable to a surrounding pack: yellow eyes glowing in the dark like a cartoon and growls more befitting the MGM lion.<br /> <br /> The camera shakes around so much the fanged antagonists are practically unseen, and thus, not very frightening. It’s basically a wraithlike feeding frenzy of shouting, screaming, and kicking to stay alive.<br /> <br /> Eventually the body count dwindles to four survivors, and  a few of the performances stand out beyond Neeson’s maverick: especially Frank Grillo as an existential badass who can’t admit he’s scared to death.<br /> <br /> Even the well-acted campfire scenes, as the men expose their soft side in the face of doom, drag so long you'll forget what the movie's about. Till the growling continues and the group ventures further towards… where exactly? Since no one had much of a life to begin with, it’s hard to imagine, or care about, anyone surviving.<br /> <br /> But the main problem is the nerve-wracking direction that, with the jangly, documentary style camerawork, does successfully put you into the situation – only it’s not a place you'll want to be for very long. (For a much better film with practically the same premise, rent THE EDGE, where the characters go through hell, not the audience.)

action, liam neeson, suspense, tens

THE GREY

title: The Grey year: 2011 cast: Liam Neeson rating: ** Never has a cast of characters so deserved to suffer – they’re just beggin...

CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IUpkFnrOia4-fnSihP1rPN8ZgGSJl3znLiIBlUlClOSes_IDDW4gynxjuDVOsy4u7gylY6_PUwRXfZffZStIhp3SlZewWXUf6JQh5pqk_58RMf0n39neY1qh31gfMrmZz9QTma92Jlhp/s1600/clash_of_the_titans_wallpaper.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657487174606091058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4IUpkFnrOia4-fnSihP1rPN8ZgGSJl3znLiIBlUlClOSes_IDDW4gynxjuDVOsy4u7gylY6_PUwRXfZffZStIhp3SlZewWXUf6JQh5pqk_58RMf0n39neY1qh31gfMrmZz9QTma92Jlhp/s200/clash_of_the_titans_wallpaper.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title</span>: CLASH OF THE TITANS<div><span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2010</div><span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng<br /><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> **</div><br /><div></div>By making Zeus (Liam Neeson) a bitter "General" and his mortal son Perseus an aggravated jar head type who’s ticked at the gods, this is more RAMBO than a remake of the 1981 fantasy classic, the swan song for stop-motion guru Ray Harryhausen. Computers have taken over this department, and all the creatures… including Medusa, giant scorpions, the winged horse Pegasus (hardly even shown), and the Kraken… move so quickly the fight scenes don’t provide our hero with a challenge that’d make him a better warrior after each. Gone also is the love interest Andromeda… Well she’s there but not really. Instead of being protected by Perseus, she waits in town for the Kraken to rise from the earth: making the plot – to kill the beast before it either kills her or destroys the town – seem secondary to the camera-shaky battles occurring elsewhere. Ralph Fiennes is the villainous Hades, and as he shape-shifts into flying harpies, and then becomes a cloud of black mist, he’s not very intimidating because of the effects surrounding him. But the three biggest problems are the character Io, an exposition-spouting supermodel who follows Perseus (and his fellow soldiers) around like a gorgeous soccer mom: deleting any mystery the characters might experience otherwise… An ever-moving camera gliding like a dizzying seesaw… And the finale with the Kraken, resembling a giant octopus and not as big a challenge as anticipated. Basically, the movie feels like a fifteen minute short stretched into two long hours, which can happen if centering on a one-dimensional hero with a one-track mind.

action, fantasy, liam neeson, ralph fiennes, remake, sam worthington

CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)

title : CLASH OF THE TITANS year: 2010 cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng rating: ** By making Zeus (Liam N...

THE A-TEAM

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirejH8GJZiVwo8hzEHuWmYTFGNIfs9xI_J_g8QfJi7GbtMQm3nPJ0jQnYt7gKWd2C3x0qtWcMdJAaPmDkNwLMgzV_t2T3jvzfyvgbjIwESxxuc1vR_wFzlaco1l-VWRH3zhx2ZwdQtuw/s1600/TheATeam2010+full.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578462164609854914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirejH8GJZiVwo8hzEHuWmYTFGNIfs9xI_J_g8QfJi7GbtMQm3nPJ0jQnYt7gKWd2C3x0qtWcMdJAaPmDkNwLMgzV_t2T3jvzfyvgbjIwESxxuc1vR_wFzlaco1l-VWRH3zhx2ZwdQtuw/s200/TheATeam2010+full.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>THE A-TEAM<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2010<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Gerald McRraney<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> **<br /><br />The very end of this bombastic theatrical version of a 1980's TV show uses the original theme song and narration/storyline: four Vietnam vets accused of a crime they didn't commit, helping people who can't find it anywhere else... And if only the movie (replacing Nam with Iraq) followed that premise or started it halfway through: as opposed to setting the entire story on meeting up; being falsely accused; and clearing their name. The crime is as muddled as the overblown, unrealistic Wile E. Coyoteish action sequences: and it never feels they're on the run. What made the TV characters memorable was their specialties, all lacking here: Hannibal (Liam Neeson) excels in breaking outta prison, but the CIA does it for him; BA is the badass, but takes a vow of non-violence; Murdoch... well he wasn't funny on the show, but unlike the updated loony pilot, had real energy; and Bradley Cooper, as the handsome con-man Face, is but a popular movie star in this big budget "reboot" that feels like a Jerry Bruckheimer production playing A-Team for Halloween.

action, bradley cooper, liam neeson, remake, tens

THE A-TEAM

title: THE A-TEAM year: 2010 cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Gerald McRraney rating: ** The very end of this bombastic theatrical versi...