Blu-Ray movie review of Max Payne

Max Payne had plenty of material to draw from. The video game offered a great world with great characters in a great plot. The movie Max Payne tarnishes the great video game in my opinion. There are little resemblance from the movie and the video game. In an interview, Mark Wahlberg refused to play the video game before shooting the film. I don't think it's necessary to play the game in order to give a good performance. But, I'm not sure if anybody involved in the film actually played the game. The bare skeleton of the video game was used in the movie. The movie makers get the noir feeling of the game. But, not much else is used.

The beginning of the plot is same for the movie. Max Payne comes home to find his wife and baby killed. He transfers to cold case department to track down the person responsible for the murder. Few clues lead him the drug scheme by the drug company. Along the way, he runs into a Russian mafia named Sax who wants revenge the murder of her sister. Max and Sax, played by Mila Kunis, try to track down the people responsible.

I wasn't a big fan of Mark Wahlberg before the movie. I'm still not a big fan of Mark Wahlberg after the movie. I don't know why Mila Kunis was even cast in the movie. I think she is great actor but she had little to do in the movie. In fact, the Sax character could have been written out and we'd still have the same movie. The actors and actress were not the problem with the movie. The script was terrible.

Roger Ebert has consistently said that video games are not a form of art. He should play the game and watch this movie and decide which one is art and which one is not. This is why movies made from video games are so derided. It isn't Super Mario bad. But, it is fairly disappointing effort all around.

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Blu-Ray disc movie review of Knocked Up

The brain behind the underrated "Freaks and Geeks" strikes again in this adult comedy. Nobody does adult comedy better than JuddApatow. The follow up to 40 Year Virgin is trade mark Apatow film. Apatow has written, produced, or directed 40 Year Virgin, Talladega Nights, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, and Pineapple Express. Just like Apatow's other works, Knocked Up has similar jokes and hilarious moments throughout the film.

Seth Rogen starts as a slacker stoner Ben Stone. Ben Stone and his stoner friends smoke pot and work on a website that feature all the naked scenes by Hollywood actresses. Katherine Heigl plays Allison Scott who is trying to work her way to be a entertainment reporter for the E!. Allison goes to a bar to celebrate a promotion. There, she gets drunk and hooks up with Ben Stone. Now, the ridiculously hot Scott and Ben Stone getting together might seem impossible. But, we have to go along with the premise to get to the funny stuff. Once Allison finds out that she is pregnant, Ben tries to man up and take responsibility. Their troubled march toward the parenthood is filled with funny moments.

Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl are both excellent. Seth Rogen stands out as the stoner trying to take responsibility. It was hard seeing Rogen as a lead in a movie at the start. But, he put in a solid performance. As with other Apatow movies, the supporting actors are just as funny as the leading actors. The stoner group of friends are hilarious friends trying to support/sabotage the relationship. Also, Kristen Wiig turns in a hysterical performance.

Ultimately, you will love this movie if you like Apatow's brand of comedy. If not, it might not be your cup of tea. There are some crude jokes and scenes that are trademark of Apatow's films. The film is funny from start to finish and is a must watch for any fans who Enjoyed 40 Year Old Virgin.

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Blue-Ray hd movie review of Appaloosa

Ed Harris writes, directs, and acts in Appaloosa, a western adapted from a book by Robert Parker. I did not read this book so I can not compare the movie to the book. I don't think you need to read the book to fully enjoy this film. Ed Harris has always been one of my favorite actors. He has portrayed variety of characters throughout his movie career with very assured acting. In his second effort as director, Ed Harris delivers a very old school western about friendship and loyalty.

The movie starts off in New Mexico 1882. The town named Appaloosa is under the control of outlaw/rancher named Randall Bragg, played by Jeremy Irons. Three lawmen are dispatched to arrest one of the henchman working for Bragg. Bragg refuses to hand him over and kills the three lawmen on the spot. The town enlists Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, played by Viggo Mortensen. The plot is fairly straight forward. Mix in a love interest for Cole by the way of Renne Zellweger. Ultimately, this is a story about friendship and loyalty more than gun fights. There are no slow motion worthy gun fight sequences. The gun fight scenes are brutal and quick. Just the way it was in the west. The friendship between Cole and Hitch is the center piece of the movie.

There's not much to say about Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, or Renee Zellweger. They are all Oscar caliber actors. The plot is simple and straight forward. This does not mean it's boring movie. It is very entertaining film. Ultimately, the bad guys get shot and the good guys triumph. But, not in the traditional way. One of the friend sacrifices himself for his friend. It is a perfect ending to a great old school western flick. This is highly recommended to any movie lovers.

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Blue-Ray dvd movie review of Babylon A.D.

It was not a good start for Babylon A.D. when the director of the movie trashed the film and its distributor. Director Mahtieu Kassovitz blasted 20th century fox and the producers for not allowing him to edit or shoot way he wanted to. He told several media outlets that the film is "pure violence and stupidity." He likened the film to a bad episode of 24. Being a fan of 24, I'd have to say 24 is far superior this clunker of movie.

The movie is about a mercenary named Toorop, played by Vin Diesel, being hired to deliver a girl to United States. The setting is few decades into the future. Toorop has to deliver Aurora and her companion to New York City from a convent located near Mongolia. There are some other people that get in the way. Ultimately, they make it to New York City. Most viewers will immediately surmise that there is something special about the girl. You find out toward the very end what she is and why she is wanted. The movie tag line says "Save the world." From what? The world looks little bleak and more violent but what's the real problem? Has the terrorist won? What's going on? None of these questions are fully explained. The film makers and script writers do very poor job of world building.

You can compare this movie to the excellent move by Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men. There are similarities between the films. But, Children of Men is far superior movie. It has very tight plot as well as great acting. Even though we are not treated the the front end of the story, we can accept the premise of the film. I could not with Babylon A.d. The one decent aspect of Babylon A.D. was the action sequence. It was pretty good with decent CGI in some parts. The parkor action sequence was extremely cheesy. Other than that, the action was fairly good.

The movie misses the mark completely. It had very interesting premise and plot to derive from. A science fiction with moral tale. So many great science fiction films like Blade Runner succeeds where Babylon A.D. fails. I don't know what the director could have done to save this mess but he certainly could not have butchered it any worse.

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Blu-Ray disc movie review of Eagle Eye

Shia Labeouf, D.J. Caruso, and Steven Spielberg once again team up to bring a rather entertaining movie. The three collaborated on Disturbia with D.J. Caruso directing and Steven Spielberg producing. Being a big Spielberg fan, I almost always enjoy any film directed or produced by Spielberg. Disturbia was fairly decent thriller on its own. Eagle eye, while fun, is not something you'd take seriously. It's aimed at summer popcorn movie crowd and it delivers as an entertaining flick.

The film opens with Jerry, played by Shia Labeouf, finding large sum of money deposited into account. Jerry is a smart slacker who goes from job to job and lives on pay check by pay check. He withdraws some and heads home. There, he finds all kinds of weapons, bomb ingredient and generally all the things a terrorist might possess. He immediately receives a phone call warning him about impending FBI arrival. He is taken into custody. There he gets another call from this stranger instructing him on how to escape. Meanwhile, Rahcel Holloman receives a phone call from same woman instructing her to do pick up Jerry or there would be harm done to her son. This is the start of series of instruction they must follow in order to avoid death.

On the surface it seems like a simple terrorist plot. But, it's little more complicated than terrorist plot. The plot, is not that important as most of the viewers will figure out what's going on. It's the fun ride to the destination that makes this film entertaining. Just remember that it is a fiction and not something you should scrutinize.

The overall acting is what you would expect from Shia Labeouf and Michelle Monaghan. Shia makes a perfect smart aleck slacker and Rachel plays perfect protective mother. Michael Chiklis makes an excellent appearance as the Defense Secretary. One problem I had was taking Shia Labeouf as someone older than 18 year old. I think watching him in his teenage roles have imprinted a certain stereotype for me. Other than that, acting was solid all around.

In the end, it is an enjoyable film if you have your logic circuit turned off. It's a fun ride from start to finish with some humor in between.

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