Safe house

Incredibly violent. In my eyes, even Denzel could not save this form being a worthless piece of shit. A waste of time. I wish I could get the two hours back.

Lincoln Lawyer

Brisk and good legal thriller. Lincoln refers to the car that is his office, this lawyer looking for a big payday, willing to defend anyone who has the cash. Some cops think he's too slick, unprincipled, and dislike him, intensely in cases. His ex-wife (Marisa Tomei, one of the few higher-profile American actresses in her age group (she was born in 1964, five years before Mr. McConaughey) who’s actually allowed to act her age, who conveys intelligence and sexiness, and suggests a life that’s been lived and without a face frozen by filler and fear. She plays a character and not just the love interest. She isn’t the star, of course, but without her and the other exceptionally well-cast supporting players, Mr. McConaughey would have a tougher time making you believe that he was to the sleaze born) is a prosecutor.

The story, and there’s a lot of it, nicely condensed from Mr. Connelly’s page-turner best seller, largely turns on a case that looks like a slam dunk or, as one of Mick’s bail bondsmen, Val (John Leguizamo), insists, a jackpot.


That NY Times review, one of many, sums it up well. A good movie.

The Departed (2006)

Violent. Very violent. Inexplicably, extremely popular. Inexplicable to me: I do not understand why very violent films are so popular, and better films are not so popular.

Road to Perdition

Good, but quite violent. And Tom Hanks's moustache?

Enduring love

Stupid, violent, a waste of time.

Gone, baby, gone

Amanda McCready is a 4-year-old who has disappeared from her Boston home. The police make little headway in solving the case, so the girl's aunt hires Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, private detectives. They freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons: they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Patrick and Angie must face area drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they finally solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart.

That's the blurb from the studio. And as far as it goes, it's accurate. But it misses much: profanity-laced, the film is based on a book by Dennis Lehane, and it misses being a good movie, for me, because it concentrates on violence and cursing.

Morgan Freeman makes a cameo appearance as a police captain riven by a guilty conscience, and airmails it. Perhaps this is one of those roles he takes simply because it is offered and will add to his resume; there is a rumor that he is trying to become the actor with the greatest number of entries in his filmography. If that is so, this is an entry hardly worth the effort, and one made with hardly an effort.

Ed Harris does a credible job as a detective, but his character isn't up to the challenge. The New York Times reviewer liked the movie, but I didn't like quite as much.

Seraphim Falls

MPAA rating: R; for violence and brief language.

 Brief language?

The American Civil War has ended, but Colonel Morsman Carver accepts one final mission. He has to kill Gideon no matter what it takes. Launched by a gunshot and propelled by rage, the relentless pursuit takes them both far from the comforts and codes of civilization, into the bloodiest recesses of their own souls.

A former Confederate (Neeson ), or a Southerner, Carver, anyway, who is out for revenge: a Yankee colonel, Gideon (Brosnan), ordered the torching of his house, in which perished his wife and child, they having gone back inside to rescue the overlooked baby. It is 1868 in snowy country which remains unnamed (though at one point Carver uses the name of a place that vaguely conjures up Nevada). A shot rings out, and the second wounds Gideon. He runs, not knowing what is going on, but fearful for his life. He is being chased by a posse of four hired guns, led by Carver, who has promised to pay them when they capture Gideon.

How he knows where to find the Yank 4 years after the fact is preposterous enough, but it would not matter much if the movie worked. It doesn't. Neeson's accent fades in and out. There does not seem to be any purpose to the violence except to have violence. Sure, such a hunt would be violent in intent, both by the hunters and the prey, but there is little emotional depth to any of the characters. Brosnan is the only bright light in the cast. 2 stars of 5.

Smokin' Aces

Nothing but profanity and unlimited gun play. A piece of crap.

The Lookout

After seeing Definitely, Maybe, I looked for films that the actors were in, and found this film with Isla Fisher. Didn't work. I'd give it a 5.

An admired high school hockey player with a bright future, drives in the night with his girl friend and two other friends with his headlights off with devastating results. The former athlete is left with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend who aids him. He is unable to have meaningful job and he goes to work as a night cleaning man in a bank. He comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman who further reels him in. Confused, but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. When he realizes he is being used, he attempts to stop the robbery, which of course immediately goes awry.

That's the summary in Alisweb. An interesting idea, but quite a violent film that runs mostly on empty. Acting is good, especially the lead, Joseph Gordon-Levitt; even Matthew Goode, who plays the chief bad guy, acts well. Isla Fisher is wasted as a damsel who is used to reel in the bait with her body. The film simply relies on the premise of the accident and its effects, and, ultimately, on violence. Maybe a 5.

And Jeff Daniels again gets stuck with bad hair (though not as bad as when he played Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in Gettysburg.