Only a solid 6 days late on this one.. one of these days I'll get the movie reviews up to current status. Crazy things like booze and the internet tend to get in the way. Gina Carino was a minor cultural phenomenon back in... ohh.. 2007/2008? She was an attractive and skilled female MMA fighter who gathered a large following and parlayed that following into a featured spot as one of the "Gladiators" on the short-lived modern reboot of "American Gladiators". Then someone (Steven Soderbergh) decided that she should be in movies, and here we are. Soderbergh, of course, is the acclaimed director of films like "Traffic", the "Ocean's" films, "Contagion", "Erin Brokovich", and so on. Needless to say, he can attract A-list talent to his projects. It seems like he's been on an experimental bent lately, making a flick with porn star Sasha Grey a few years back and now introducing the world's first female MMA star to feature films.
The supporting cast in this one is impressive. Ewan McGregor, blog favorite Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas and Channing Tatum round out the cast. As far as Carino herself, she has a solid screen presence, a natural beauty and a certain physicality that brings believability to the action sequences. However, it's clear that she's a newcomer to the movie game.. as her dialogue seems stiff and forced, and she doesn't seem to know what to do with scenes that don't require her to kick someone's ass. She may become a good actress someday.. but she just isn't yet. Not that that's her fault - carrying a movie is no easy task - Nic Cage hasn't figured out how to do it despite 25 years and 30+ chances.
As far as the plot - it's pretty standard and throwaway. Mallory is an agent for a company that contracts out dirty work for an unnamed government agency. Basically, they do jobs so that the government doesn't have to. After a contracted rescue mission in Barcelona where all is not as it seems, Mallory's world comes down around her head through a web of double-crosses, lies and betrayals. The plot hops around the globe as Mallory seeks to stay one step ahead of her pursuers, whose intentions aren't entirely clear.
All in all, I was rather disappointed in this one. Not that I expected it to surpass the "Bourne" flicks and become an action/spy classic, but given the talent behind and in front of the camera, I hoped for a solid flick at least. Unfortunately, this flick is uneven, inconsistent and rather dull despite stretches that are quite good. The plot is rather paint-by-numbers and seems more befitting an 80's Segal or Van Dam actioneer rather than a flick involving all of this talent. Bad guys with dubious allegiances and even more uncertain motivations simply doesn't cut it in our post-Bourne, post-Daniel Craig Bond world. In addition, as mentioned above, Carino, despite her impressive physicality and fight sequences, is simply a stiff unable to hold a movie on her own. She would have been better suited to ease her way into a starring vehicle via supporting roles.. as it felt like she was doing a "Terminator" impression throughout. In addition, Soderbergh's trademark jazzy transition scenes (think the "Ocean" movies) simply felt out of place. Trying to turn a John Cena straight-to-DVD flick into an arthouse flick with A-list talent and smooth listening jazz interludes just results in a slightly better genre flick in the absence of a transcendent performance. Unfortunately, the talented actors (McGregor, Fassbender, Douglas, Banderas) simply aren't given any meat to chew on. The most nuanced and complicated non-Carino character was played by Channing Tatum.. who probably takes acting lessons from his acting-challenged co-star. That dude is a stiff.
I hate to sound so negative about a movie.. but this one just didn't do it for me. There are scenes that are tense and very good.. but these cut abruptly to something COMPLETELY different, giving the flick an extremely uneven, disjointed feel. Carino does great fight scenes, as she should, but you really believe that she could beat up a man.. which isn't typically the case with women action stars. So while she certainly has some potential, she's just not there yet. So while this one isn't bad, it isn't particularly good, either.
What if Forrest Gump was a smart horse instead of a dumb man? So I hung out with Mom and Dad this past weekend, and Mom REALLY wanted to see this one, so see it we did. My dad and I came to the agreement that the only thing worse than the trench warfare on the Western front of WW1 in human history was the Holocaust. Being a Spielberg flick, there are a few things it's helpful to recall about Mr. Spielberg. First, when it comes to visuals, Spielberg may not have a peer in the movie business.. James Cameron, Terrence Malick or Michael Mann might have grounds to argue, but no one does sweeping vistas and epic destruction the way that he does. Also, his flicks are always imbued with a certain (often emotionally manipulative) sentimentality. The man simply cannot resist soaring music and close reaction shots that are all but guaranteed to make the room PRETTY dusty. Have you watched ET as a grown up? Holy cow, I openly wept. Not that these are bad things, the man is undoubtedly a master filmmaker, they are just certain things you notice about someone when they've been very prominently artistically expressing themselves for more than 35 years. Oh, and there's the fact that this is a guy who manages to put a happy ending on everything - whether it's a movie about dinosaurs eating people. interplanetary warfare, a murderous shark, the holocaust, WW2, a lost alien or one archaeologist vs. nazi germany, things seem to work out for Steve's heroes. Once again, not a criticism.. simply a recognition of a certain cinematic style, a style that has become as integral to what makes movies "movies" as popcorn.
So War Horse, the film, is based on a best-selling British children's novel and stage/Broadway adaption of the same. Set in Britain and Continental Europe before, during, and briefly after the First World War, the story follows the son of an English farmer as he raises and trains a remarkable horse. The boy and his horse find themselves separated by war an circumstance, and a number of nigh-miraculous happenings lead to their reunion on the French battlefield. Along the way Joey (the horse) finds himself forced into the service of the English, German and French armies, adopted by a French jam maker and his granddaughter, and gains friends and admirers at every step.
It should come as no surprise that this film looks incredible. Much like Saving Private Ryan, the wartime battle scenes are as breathtaking as they are horrible. The sweeping visuals are reminiscent of classic Hollywood, where epic scenes were created with epic settings and hundreds of extras. In many ways, that's what this film feels like.. like an old hollywood epic western or war movie. There's no political point being made, if anything, all sides are treated more or less as equally reprehensible.
At the same time, this may be the most emotionally manipulative movie I've ever seen. I don't even like horses, in fact, I'm scared of them (I like being the largest animal in any given situation), but this flick tried harder than just about any other flick I can think of to get the waterworks going, and succeeded more than once. People know that animals elicit truer and purer emotional responses than humans do, as counter-intuitive as that may seem, so by depicting the horror of war through the eyes of an innocent, endearing animal, you idealize your subject while emphasizing the suffering. And the ending? Forget about it. The theater was full of sniffles.
This is an extremely watchable, artfully done and well-executed film. Technically? It may well be perfect. The action scenes are great, the color, lighting, camera angles, scenes, settings and costumes are perfect. It is well acted, featuring many recognizable English actors, although the structure of the film, being a series of vignettes that happen to a horse over the course of the war, means that no one actor or actors is really the focus. The focus is the horse, and the war. The plot is a bit strained in having Joey manage to see so many differing parts to this war.. but by the time he finds himself in the moonscape of no man's land, you find yourself not caring all that much. I made the comparison to Forrest Gump above, because that's what I found myself reminded of. Forrest Gump found himself a part of a number of historically significant moments due to no intention of his own but rather as a victim/beneficiary of circumstance, simply riding the wave of what came his way. Joey the horse is much the same in that way. He's sold to the cavalry, so he heads to war, where he changes hands as various riders/owners/thieves are killed or captured or separated.
So, in conclusion, I liked this film, but didn't LOVE it. The plot strained the limits of credibility a bit too much for that, but that's the kind of film that it is.. it's not aiming for documentary status here. Uplifting in parts, horrifying in others, it presents an earnest look at one of the worst calamities to ever befall the human race while also supplying a happy ending. There are certainly many worse things you could say about a film.
Technically perfect, emotionally stirring, extremely well done but unfortunately falling short of greatness, War Horse gets a solid 7.5/10. The rare watchable film that really is accessible to all audiences.
So it's 2012. Wild, right? I'm pretty sure that 2012 is pretty universally supposed to have been the future. I mean, based on what people thought from basically 1950 until 1990, by 2012 we'd have flying cars and jetpacks at the VERY least.. insterstellar travel on the optimistic side.
So I was going to just post my top 10 movies of 2011, but then realized that I reviewed every single movie I saw in theaters in 2011, so basically a top 10 list would just be sorting movies I've already rated according to score plus plugging in whatever flicks I didn't catch in theaters.. and that's kind of boring. So I decided to rate my top 10 media of 2011 instead, whether movies, albums, books, TV shows, or so on. I think it should be a little more interesting than just movies, and I think it sounds kind of fun. So let's take a look at the year that was, shall we?
Honorable Mentions: Game of Thrones, Season 1, Community, Seasons 2 and 3 (an uneven start to season 3 hurt this one), Childish Gambino, Camp, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Moneyball, Archer, Season 2.
10. A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5), George R. R. Martin - I didn't read any of the books prior to February 2011, but devoured the first 4 months before the release of the 5th installment in July. Everything the show (Game of Thrones) does well, the books do better, and George R. R. Martin must be an awesome kind of insane. That's the only explanation I can think of, for his interlocking webs of past, present, prophesy and multiple, often unreliable narrators create a dense, complex, engrossing and rewarding world that I and many, many others simply can't get enough of. Don't believe me? Check out the online fan communities, where you'll see fans as devoted and obsessive as any. Is the whole saga extremely nerdy? Sure. But at its root, it's not about magic or traditional fantasy.. it's about real, flawed characters struggling in a brutal world. In a bleak and brutal universe, the struggles that make us human become illuminated. It's not a merry ride, but it's certainly a fun one. At around 1000 pages of sprawling world building, interlocking narratives and ominous foreboding, the 5th installment is (hopefully) the darkest part of night, before the dawn. I would recommend the books to anyone with an adult mind and imagination. But consider yourself warned, at around 900 dense pages per book, these are not for the faint of heart.
9. Parks and Recreation, Seasons 3 and 4 -
So 2011 covered Season 3 and the first half of Season 4 of what just might be the best comedy on TV. Since Rob Lowe and Adam Scott became regulars on P&R the show has achieved what may be approaching hilarious perfection. Silly yet endearing, often outrageous and over the top yet still very human and very, very sweet, this show never fails to bring out the laughs and bring out genuine human emotion. You know, like the Office when it was good, only better. In 2011 Parks and Rec brought us the Harvest Festival (and 'Lil Sebastian), Flu Season, April and Andy's wedding, and more sweet zany craziness from the residents of Pawnee, Indiana. Any week with a new Parks and Rec is well on its way to being a good one (especially if immediately proceeded by a Community..). If you don't want to hang out with Leslie, Ron, Tom, April, Andy, Chris, Ben and maybe even Jerry.. well I don't trust you. Kudos, Parks and Rec.. you really brought the awesome sauce in '11.
8. Friday Night Lights, Season 5
Have there been better shows than Friday Night Lights? Absolutely. But I don't know that any show has been TRUER or more earnest, and there's certainly a lot of value in that. These characters that you grow to know and love over the life of the series are flawed human beings.. but they are undoubtedly human beings. I don't know that there's ever been a better and truer positive depiction of a marriage on television than Eric and Tammy Taylor. Is it about football? Sure.. but when it comes down to it it's about people, who have hopes and dreams and make mistakes but do the best that they can. FNL achieved something that many shows have tried and failed to do in Seasons 4 and 5, they turned over their cast and switched the setting, moving Coach to a new school and introducing new players, and pulled it off perfectly. Most FNL fans like the East Dillon crew more than the West Dillon crew.. who we love. So even though the show came to an end in 2011.. you can't help but be glad that the show lasted as long as it did, and gave us a pitch-perfect ending along the way. Also.. Billy Riggins is an American hero.
7. Louie, Season 2.
Season 2 is when Louis CK's one-man tour de force, "Louie" crossed over from "interesting" to "tremendous". Louie isn't just one of the best comedies on TV, but one of the best shows, period. Louis CK is responsible for every single element of this series, and his cynical yet hilarious mind often spawns greatness. Season 2 gave us some absolutely brilliant episodes.. including Louie's trip to Afghanistan and the long-overdue confrontation with the epic douche known as Dane Cook. (kudos to Mr. Cook for having the guts and the magnanimity to make the appearance) It cracked me up, it broke my heart, but no matter what, it always had something to say. Given Louis CK's brilliant comedic mind, consider me beyond excited for what Louie will bring in the future.
6. Bon Iver, Bon Iver Bon Iver's (still not 100% sure how to pronounce it..) 2009 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago was truly great. Melancholy, ethereal, gorgeous. Written and produced in a cabin in the woods, and you can certainly tell. Is this album an improvement? It's so completely different, I don't know that it's possible to make that determination. What I do know is that this album is also truly great. It doesn't have the same unity of purpose and form, but what it lacks in a holistic approach it makes up for in ambition and variety. Oh, and if I die anywhere in the next ten years, I want "Holocene" to be played at my funeral.. it's beautiful. A friend of mine called listening to Bon Iver like "being in heaven's waiting room".. and while I'm not sure I agree, there certainly is something nigh-spiritual about it. My favorite album of the year, and the one I don't skip any tracks on.
5. Warrior
So this one came out last fall, and I couldn't convince any of my deadbeat friends to catch it with me during the 3 weeks it was actually in theaters. Shame on them, shame on me, shame on everyone else that didn't catch this one (and there were many..), because it is truly great. All dramas contain an emotional journey of sorts, and in my experience, catharsis just may be the most heart-wrenching of them all. No, I don't particularly like UFC/MMA, but that doesn't really matter.. like most great dramas, it's not about the superficial setting, but rather about the journey of its characters. I'm a sucker for father/son stories.. and throw in a brother/brother story? Forget about it. So an MMA tournament brings together two brothers and their alcoholic father, long-estranged. One brother is a war hero and gifted fighter, the other a family man, high school teacher and serious underdog. Let me put it this way.. at the last fight I had full on tears running down my cheeks. Powerful, powerful stuff. Well worth a watch.
4. Justified, Season 2
It may not be the BEST showon TV, there are far too many "off" episodes for that, but at its strongest, which usually come during the last few episodes of the season, there isn't a better show, plain and simple. Justified focuses on US Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant in a star-making turn), based on an Elmore Leonard character who is a little too cowboy-esque and trigger happy for our modern world, but who happens to be very good at his job. A native of rough and rural Harlan County, Kentucky, Givens finds himself continuously sucked into the criminal world of his hometown, much of which is run by family, friends and acquaintances. Despite his better judgment and the pleadings of basically everyone who cares about him, Harlan County continues to pull Raylan in. Season 2 brings back Season 1's primary villain, Raylan's boyhood friend Boyd Crowder (a particularly charismatic Walton Goggins), and introduces a menacing and outstanding Margo Martindale as criminal matriarch Mags Bennett. Just watch, season 3 just started and has certainly not disappointed thus far.
3. Midnight in Paris First thing's first.. I don't usually like Woody Allen. I find him to be self-absorbed and more than a little egotistical. Not that that's especially uncharacteristic of artists, or that he isn't undeniably talented and prolific as a filmmaker, but something about the man and his works has always irked me a little bit. So in light of that comes my love and appreciation for this flick. It certainly doesn't hurt that Owen Wilson plays Woody Allen better than Woody Allen does. This flick is sweet, funny, smart and an all-around good time. Gil is struggling through his first novel and uncertain in his relationship with his fiancee, Inez, and finds just what he needed on the magical streets of Paris. Is the "message" a little simplistic and obvious? Sure. Does it play to the egos of its audience by making references that make them feel cultured and well read? Absolutely. But none of that takes away from what this flick does well, which is capture an artful playfulness in a smart and worthwhile way. Eminently watchable, quotable and pretty damn fun, I don't know that I'll ever get tired of this one. Hemingway is an absolute treat.
2. Tree of Life
This one certainly brings out strong reactions in viewers. Despite its utter lack of what most would call a "plot", its esthetic, undeniable beauty, ambition and an ethereal sort of spirituality make it an absolutely gorgeous film. I look at it as an artful prayer, evaluation, or speculation on the nature of existence, on god and love and life and who we are and why we are. Unanswerable questions, to be sure, but at the same time, one of the most important functions of art is to ask these questions and search for the ever elusive answers. The beauty and greatness of this flick is rather difficult to put into words, much like a great painting or sculpture in that way.. where it's an almost instinctual reaction. But let me say that I'd completely understand why someone wouldn't like this one. I just happen to think it's the best film of 2011.
1. Breaking Bad, Season 4
Breaking Bad is, at this point of its run, the only series that even deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as "The Wire". Brian Cranston has been knocking the role of Walter White out of the park from day 1.. and Aaron Paul has more than held up his end of the bargain. By Season 4, what began as a deviation into criminality to make some side money has morphed into something lucrative, devious and horrible, with ripples that extend far beyond the intended consequences. At this point, it's impossible to deny that Walter White is a villain, but damn it if you can't stop rooting for the guy. Season 4 finds Walter and Jesse in a Mexican stand-off of sorts with chicken and methamphetamine kingpin Gus Fring, and the tension inherent in that employer-employee relationship is the dramatic drive for the entire season. Breaking Bad was, and remains, appointment television, and with 16 episodes remaining, I can't wait for what will undoubtedly be an amazing finish.
So that's 2011 in media, folks. Feel free to disagree, but know that I'm most likely right about pretty much all of this. Just something to consider.
Now if you haven't been living on planet earth for the past few months, you may be wondering what all the hoopla about Tim Tebow is all about. Well, Mr. Tebow is a young, handsome, charismatic quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League, and has become at once the most popular and most divisive athlete, nay, personality, in America over the past 6 months. Even as a third-teamer in the preseason his travails got more coverage than legitimate football news, and since he took the starting job? Holy shit.. Tebowmania has swept the nation. If he's good, he's the best ever. If he's bad, he's the worst ever.. you simply cannot exist on this earthly plane and be "meh" on Tim Tebow. While at Florida, Tebow won two National titles and a Heisman trophy, and was pretty much the most dominant player in the nation for three whole seasons. But that's all about football - plenty of people are good at football, what makes Tebow such a sensation is his very public, very evangelical brand of Christianity. Tebow simply will not let you forget that he is, in fact, a Christian, and a dedicated one at that. In fact, pseudo-religious "news" about Tebow is reported in INTERNATIONAL sources. Tim Tebow and his religiosity are simply inescapable. While at Florida, Tebow famously and publicly performed mission trips in the Philippines with his father's church, going so far as to help doctors perform circumcisions on impoverished Filipino children. Reporters, coaches, teammates, fans, announcers and public officials effuse on the quality of this young man as his confessed humility, hard work and quality of character win supporters across the country and beyond. It is not uncommon to see parallels drawn between Tebow and Jesus himself. While a large segment of the population seems to have concluded that Tebow lies somewhere between Hercules, David, Elijah and Christ himself on the scale between god and man, what most seem to agree on is that there's more to this particular quarterback than meets the eye. What I haven't seen anyone actually consider is the potentiality that rather than a minor prophet or potential incarnation of Christ himself, Tebow is rather something much more nefarious, a usurper, imposter, or even the antichrist himself. Let's discuss.
Most biblical scholars believe that the biblical books of Revelations and Daniel, from which the vast majority of our textual support for the antichrist derive, are shrouded in metaphor and symbolism, and refer to signs and "beasts" not as literal beasts, but rather as abstract representations of future events. In addition, it's important to remember that in the Christian tradition, the antichrist is not a demonic figure like traditional depictions of Satan or other devils. Rather, he's a charismatic figure who will convince mankind that he is the true Christ prior to Christ's return. Here's what we do know about the antichrist, and how it relates to Tim Tebow.
• First, the antichrist will be associated with the number 666. Whether this is a marking directly on his body or whether its his abstract "mark" is less certain. Consider this. Tim Tebow has worn the jersey number 15 in high school, college and now the pros. 1+5 = 6. 15 in HS, 15 in College, 15 in the Pros. Lay all three jerseys next to each other and what do you get? Three 6's. [Rev 13]
• The antichrist is "gifted with a mouth that can speak great and convincing things". Tebow is renowned for his impact on all he meets. Listen to Verne Lunquist pontificate on his quality of character sometime, or witness snake oil salesperson Urban Meyer break down like a schoolgirl when speaking on the impact Tebow has had on his family and himself to see that Tebow is certainly blessed (or cursed?) with this particular quality. In addition, let's not forget his mission trips to the Philippines. The Philippines are a CHRISTIAN (Catholic) nation.. so Tebow is preaching to and converting already baptized Christians. If that's not dangerously close to treading on God I don't know what is. [Rev 13]
• The antichrist performs "Great wonders" and "miracles" - as seen by Tebow's being a "miracle baby" as attested to by his mother, and his 5 come from behind victories this season, often in improbable and downright miraculous fashion. Indeed, the postgame fireworks following his improbable playoff victory vs. 12-4 Pittsburgh formed a halo in the sky above the stadium. [Rev 13]
• The antichrist will have a "powerful look - more stout than his fellows" and "fierce countenance". Check out that shirtless picture above or one of his runs to get an idea of his physicality, and this video should give you an idea of the fierceness of his countenance. [Dan 7]
• The antichrist will be "worshipped by many people" - Look no farther than this picture and this video to see Tebow's impact on people. See also: NFL.com posting pictures of what Tebow and X's (including: Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Bachmann, and other notables) baby would look like. Yes, NFL.com did this. Seriously. [Rev 13]
• The antichrist will "survive a deadly wound" - Tebow famously was a product of a difficult pregnancy as a so-called "miracle baby" (seriously) -
oh, and there's this hit:
[Rev 13]
• The antichrist will "show no regard for the desire of women" - Tebow is famously (or claims to be) a virgin, despite having been a star football player his entire life and despite the undoubtedly constant propositions of nubile young women from Florida to Denver. [Dan 11]
• Finally, the antichrist will arrive on a white, or more appropriately, pale horse. I've included the logo of the Denver Broncos for convenience's sake. [Rev 6]
Now, I'm not saying that Tim Tebow most definitely IS the antichrist, I'm just saying that: 1.) The History Channel has made entire specials using significantly less evidence than I just displayed, and 2.) Is it so crazy that a nearly maniacally religious home schooled kid from Florida may not be all that he seems? Is it? I think these are questions worth asking. Consider me now terrified that the antichrist is indeed among us, and Skip Bayless and Verne Lundquist lead us readily to our doom. Elway, always the stalwart defender of all that is right and good, tried to hold out as long as humanly possible, but was unable to resist the rising tide of the black covenant streaming from Bristol, CT. Guard yourselves against the coming doom..
Caught this one on Friday night, and truth be told, I've been excited for this flick since I found out about it last fall. It's been getting serious awards buzz, and having seen it, you can definitely see why. An absolutely stacked cast, great aesthetic, and tense, mature story combine to create one of the more watchable and enjoyable adult flicks I've seen in a long time. This one is based on a novel by John Le Carre, who was a former British intelligence agent and thus likely knows a thing or two about the spy game. If you're a British actor and you AREN'T in this movie, you should give your agent a call. John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds and "boy of the year" candidate Tom Hardy star as the veteran intelligence officers of "The Circus" and younger trigger operations agents who do their bidding. Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) makes his mainstream Hollywood debut, so let's check this one out, shall we?
It's 1973 and "Control", the head of British foreign intelligence, is convinced that there's a Soviet mole in the highest levels of British intelligence. After a failed operation, Control and Smiley, his top Lieutenant, are forced out, but the hunt for the mole continues. Over the next year, Smiley and his team meticulously attempt to puzzle out the complicated chess match that is cold-war era espionage. These aren't your James Bond spies, these are bookish men whose jobs consist of study, analysis and obsession rather than bedding exotic women and destroying cities with fanciful gadgets.
This flick is about two things: atmosphere and performances.. and it doesn't disappoint in either department. The setting is London, 1973, and this one is all muted colors, whispered conversations and backroom deals. The brief moments of action and excitement are unexpected and serve as punctuations to the tense machinations and maneuverings. The performances? Knocked out of the park. John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Oldman, especially. Through the use of flashbacks, the characters and their relationships with one another and their families are fleshed out, and we really see the human side of what was the front line of the Cold War. Oldman is given the most to do, and he doesn't disappoint, absolutely crushing this one out of the part and putting himself square in the middle of any awards conversation. His George Smiley is subdued, reserved and supremely competent, dedicated, loyal, determined and yet sad. In the hands of a lesser actor Smiley would come off as depressing or quiet rather than the complicated, confident and effective professional that Oldman presents.
This flick looks great, feels entirely authentic and presents Cold War intelligence as an unglamorous, thankless grind rather than the heroic romance so often presented by Hollywood. These are damaged men who sacrifice everything for country and in the name of world peace, and the flick pulls no punches in this depiction. The flick does very little hand-holding for the audience, foregoing expository dialogue for character-driven flashbacks. The performances are absolutely spectacular.. easily the best work by an ensemble I've seen all year. If I have complaints, simply that the plot at times is a little unclear.. but I feel that everything makes sense by film's end, in addition, the identity of the mole is tipped a LITTLE too heavily for my taste. The ending? Simply great. The always great Gary Oldman delivers, check this one out if you're in the mood for a complex flick made for people older than 16.
Only a solid 6 days late on this one.. one of these days I'll get the movie reviews up to current status. Crazy things like booze and the internet tend to get in the way. Gina Carino was a minor cultural phenomenon back in... ohh.. 2007/2008? She was an attractive and skilled female MMA fighter who gathered a large following and parlayed that following into a featured spot as one of the "Gladiators" on the short-lived modern reboot of "American Gladiators". Then someone (Steven Soderbergh) decided that she should be in movies, and here we are. Soderbergh, of course, is the acclaimed director of films like "Traffic", the "Ocean's" films, "Contagion", "Erin Brokovich", and so on. Needless to say, he can attract A-list talent to his projects. It seems like he's been on an experimental bent lately, making a flick with porn star Sasha Grey a few years back and now introducing the world's first female MMA star to feature films. 
