Goon

If you want to see a really funny film, love hockey, or love the classic Paul Newman hockey film Slap Shot then you need to go see Goon. Arriving just in time for the hockey playoffs in the theaters or on itunes, Goon is much more than the title suggests. It's a film filled with surprising heart, courage, and loyalty. Make no mistakes though, there is a ton of violence in this movie and it more than lives up to its leading title. Hey, any hockey movie that begins with blood on the ice and ends with blood on the ice is a pretty damn good hockey movie in my opinion.

Now a movie I recently saw made me scratch my head as far as casting was concerned. The issues I had with that previous film I certainly didn't have with this one, casting was PERFECT!. Goon stars Sean William Scott as Doug "The Thug" Glatt, a simpleton with a heart of gold, think Forrest Gump on skates and you know where I'm headed. His best friend is Ryan played hilariously by Jay Baruchel (who is also credited as a co-writer, yes the guy from the insipid She's out of My League and The Sorcerer's Apprentice movies). Playing Doug's disappointed dad is the rejuvenated Eugene Levy, the love interest is the adorable Alison Pill (who was hilarious in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), and the main rival of Doug is handled brilliantly by Liev Schreiber. The rest of the cast falls lock step in behind these terrific actors and they too are all very good.

This movie is based on a true story which knowing hockey makes all the sense in the world. Simple minded Doug is a bouncer at a bar and his best friend who runs his own cable access hockey TV show takes Doug to a minor league hockey game. Doug, enjoying his corn dogs suddenly has to come to his friends defense when a hockey player from the visiting team climbs out of the penalty box and marches up the stands looking for Ryan's blood. Doug smashes the player so hard the coach of the home team wants Doug to tryout, after laying waste to many of his own teammates at said tryout he earns a spot on the team. The movie just gets better and better from that point on.

The violence is SO plentiful and shot so well that it becomes almost epic, almost operatic even. Wrapped up in all that violence though is a losing hockey team that-with the help of Doug-rediscovers their passion for the game and that they are a team, not just a collection of some really warped individuals. Doug wins everybody over with his politeness and his extreme dedication and loyalty to his team. Deftly directed by relative newcomer Michael Dowse, Goon will keep you laughing and cringing at the same time but it's official, it's one hell of a ride and I highly recommend it. I'll see you at the theater.

The Raid: Redemption

There is really not much I can say about this movie so this review will be short. Why is that you ask? Simple, there really isn't much to this movie. It's really a very simple premise. A group of elite cops, some veterans and a few rookies are tasked to raid this drug lords building. They are supposed to root him out, arrest him, and shut down his lab. That of course is NOT how it goes down in The Raid: Redemption at all.

There's not much of plot in The Raid: Redemption, there is a LOT of shooting, yelling, cursing, and fighting. Oh, there's also a lot of reading because it's subtitled. Now if you are a fan of gun battles, yelling, and cursing (in a foreign language) then this movie is for you. If not then I suggest you skip it. Now if you are a fan of those martial arts, kung-fu movies that used to come on all those years ago on Saturday afternoons from 3 to 5pm and then went outside and kicked your neighbors butt then this....THIS is the movie for you.

Written, directed, and edited by Gareth Evans The Raid boasts some of the most inventive martial arts moves I have even seen, this movie will have you yelling out "ohhhh" and "ahhhhh". I speak from first hand experience on that and the climactic fight scene will leave you breathless. With a super tight score put together by Joseph Trapanese and Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, the music makes the action in this movie look almost ballet like at times.

If you want see a movie that requires absolutely no thinking of your own but entertains and has you walking out of the theater looking for your neighbor so you can kick his/her butt all over again then see The Raid: Redemption. You won't be sorry and I'll see you at the theater.

Hunger Games

To say that I was slightly disappointed in the visual realization of Suzanne Collins bestselling book Hunger Games isn't fair to director Gary Ross (of who I am a huge fan of) or his movie. While I am no fan of her writing style, Suzanne does bring us a world never before seen with horrors never before thought about. The movie of course couldn't put everything from the book onto the screen or then we would have a four hour movie but I was still somewhat let down. I think much of that let down can be attributed to the cast of the movie.

Anyone who has ever read the trilogy I'm sure had their own idea of what Katniss "Katnip" Everdeen looked like and while Jennifer Lawrence has the eyes of someone from the seam, she doesn't put forth the air of vulnerability. She's one of the tallest people on the screen. She's taller than Peeta Mellark played by Josh Hutcherson and almost eye to eye with Gale Hawthorne played by Liam Hemsworth her hunting companion and potential romantic interest back in District Twelve. They hit a home run on talk show host Caeser Flickerman played by the amazing Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks who stars as the vapid Effie Trinket. They struck out however with a seemingly bored and tired Donald Sutherland who plays the evil President Snow.

Every year, to mark the anniversary of the rebellion one male and one female between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each district to fight to the death in the arena. Katniss doesn't get chosen, instead her younger sister Primrose does. Katniss immediately volunteers to take her sisters place in the arena. Peeta also get chosen to fight and the two kids who never really seen anything grand are whisked off to the Capitol where they are lavished with food and attention the likes they have never seen before. The chosen enter the arena as all of Panem looks on to see the carnage. Alliances are formed and kids are killed in cold blood and usually only one victor is crowned but Peeta tells Caeser Flickerman about this girl he loves and the rules get changed.

It makes for compelling reading and the movie IS pretty entertaining. Of course some things are changed in the movie from the book and there are times the movie feels somewhat hollow but I think that's because I read the books. It may be completely different for those going in blindly. The music, scored by James Newton Howard feels directionless and is sadly forgettable. If he is chosen to score the sequels hopefully he can step his game up. Overall a decent movie if you've read the book and a good movie if you didn't. I'd recommend it more if you haven't read the book and I'll see you at the theater. Oh, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen is a really cute film with some hilarious moments and surprisingly a lot more depth than one would think. Based on the novel of the same name by Paul Torday and directed by Lasse Hallstrom of Gilbert Grape fame, Fishing is a charming movie about faith, love, and the human spirit. There's also fishing by the way just in case you thought the title of the movie was like a metaphor or something.

Ewin McGregor as the stuffy Dr Alfred Jones is approached by Harriet Chetwood-Tolbert who is played by the lovely Emily Blunt. She is the legal representative of Sheikh Muhhamed played by the charismatic Amr Waked. The Sheikh needs Dr. Jones' help in making his dream come true of bringing salmon fishing to the Yemen. Of course Dr. Jones sees this as some kind of joke but upon meeting and talking with the Sheikh he buys into Sheikh's perceived madness. That's how the Sheikh's fellow countrymen see it and they do whatever they can to sabotage this introduction of western culture to their land.

There's a complicated love story developing between Dr. Jones and Harriet but you know where that's going and just how it's going to end up. The joy is watching it get there. Scored by the Oscar award winning composer Dario Marinelli this film comes in a complete package of cuteness and light. If you want to see a love story and have a smile put on your face then see Salmon Fishing in The Yemen. I doubt you'll be sorry and I'll see you at the theater.

Wrath of The Titans

When Clash of The Titans subsided from the theaters, many people were still upset. Upset for mainly one thing, they felt the commercials and trailers were misleading. They felt the movie was going to possess far more action than it did. I would then ask those I knew one very simple question, "Did you see the original?". The original Clash was just as boring if not more so, so I never quite understood that complaint as I'm sure the producers of the remake didn't either BUT they took those complaints to heart and went back to the lab. Their concoction this time around? Wrath of The Titans, an action packed, open throttle adrenaline rush in sparkling 3D. Two problems with this movie though...

A- Sam Worthington is back and B- he was in a movie that really lacked any decent story. Zeus, played again by Liam Neeson is losing his power as man is turning away from the Gods and this time Hades, his brother played by again by Ralph Fiennes has a grander scheme than the Kracken. Hades wants to set his and Zeus' father Kronos and the rest of the Titans free. With the help of Zeus other son Ares played by Edgar Ramirez, Hades captures Zeus and feeds his power to Kronos who is imprisoned in Tartarus. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Zeus' other son, the indomitable Perseus sets about trying to get down to the underworld and Tartarus to free his dad and he is not alone.

He travels with Queen Andromeda played by Rosamund Pike, Agenor, the son of Poseidon played by Toby Kebbel, and Hephaestus the architect of the underworld played by Bill Nighy. Together these four, armed with the "God Weapons" make their journey. The movie deals with some serious sibling rivalry issues between Hades and Zeus and Perseus and Ares but it's not enough to drive this movie. Like I said, the 3D is sparkling but after awhile even that can begin to wear thin. Director Johnathan Liebesman does his best though to give you something new to look at every chance he gets. The Cyclops were a nice touch I have to admit.

Visually I'm sure the movie is as stunning in 2D as it is in 3D. When Kronos walks the earth, IMPRESSIVE!!! The whirling dervishes wielding blades and slicing through soldiers like butter was also a nice touch but honestly, I feel Clash was the better movie of the two. It looked better and even though Sam was in it, there was better acting not to mention better music. Clash was scored by Ramin Djawadi who's gone on to score Game of Thrones. Wrath was scored by Javier Navarrete. Where Ramin's score was focused and direct, Javier's is all over the place, much like the movie.

I would skip Wrath (if you already haven't) and spend your money on something far more entertaining like say....salmon fishing?

Undefeated

Okay, so I have my pick for best Actor (even though he wasn't nominated), best Actress (who I am sure will win), and now I have my pick for Best Documentary. Undefeated is a beautiful film from beginning to end dealing with kids who are going through unimaginable circumstances, dealing with soul crushing poverty while playing the bone crunching (and ligament tearing) game of High School football. The movie is about the 2010 season of the Memphis Manassas Tigers and it has everything you can think of. The school's football program has never won a playoff game in it's one hundred and ten year history, it's star defensive player spent time in a penitentiary for youths, it's smartest player grapples with self doubt, and the teams star player has his very own Blindside like life to help get his grades up.

Then there's the coach. Bill Courtney is without question, a driven man. He's driven to be a successful businessman, husband, father, and winning coach. More than that though, Bill Courtney is driven to help the young men on his team to become better men. He sacrifices so much (as does his family) to make sure the young men don't fall through the cracks or by the wayside. While watching this film I both envied and felt sorry for Coach Bill. I envied him for being in those indelible moments that shape young men, moments they will never forget. For being instrumental in their lives and for being there when the light goes on and those young men finally get it. I felt sorry for him when he's had to break up the fights, deal with the seeming ungratefulness, and expending the amount of energy it took to get his team up to and across the finish line. I'm sure if you asked Coach Bill Courtney who HIS hero is he would say his wife, with NO hesitation.

The film follows him, the mercurial Chavis Daniels, the charming Montrail "Money" Brown, and the preternaturally gifted O.C. Brown as they ride the highs and lows of their season. If you have ever seen the Peter Berg directed movie Friday Night Lights (which I highly recommend), this film will seem very familiar to you. The only difference being Undefeated was happening in real time. These were real experiences. The doctors were real, the injuries were real, the anguish was real, as were the triumphs. The movie had it's hilarious moments along with many heartfelt ones as well. Like when O.C. puts cologne on for the first time for his girlfriend. It's such a sweet moment you can't help pull for these kids.

I heard nothing but great things about this film so I had to see it for myself and I am truly glad I did. I don't usually recommend documentaries to people because we all have different tastes, and those tastes may not run in the same direction but SEE THIS FILM!!! You will not be sorry and you may find yourself pulling for it on Oscar night just like me.

Red Tails

Let me just state here and now, for the record that I REALLY wanted to like this movie. I went in with amazing high hopes because I thought here was finally going to be a beautiful, wonderful, and epic portrayal of those heroic and brave trailblazers, The Tuskegee Airmen. It was directed by a Black man and produced by the man behind the amazing Star Wars movies, George Lucas. It was written by the very talented John Ridley, scored by the jazz great Terence Blanchard, starring some of today's best Black acting talent walking on the crust of the planet, as well as having the surviving airmen on the set during the filming. I had been looking forward to this movie ever since I heard that Black men flew fighter planes against Hitler's feared Luftwaffe back in World War II. That was a long time ago, I know so to say I was looking forward to this movie was putting incredibly mildly.

In a world where there are less and less Black faces on network television (unless you count those silly judge shows and insipid reality TV shows). Scripted network work seems to continue to elude today's young Black talent so I can just imagine what the casting job was like for this film. As the casting director I'm sure they had their pick of the youngest, brightest, and the best. Actors like Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds from "The Wire", David Oyelowo, and the great Andre Royo. Not to mention the incredibly multi talented Terence Howard along with Oscar award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Let me not fail to mention Ne-Yo, Bryan Cranston, Method Man, the beautiful Daniela Ruah. This film had everything going for it is what I'm saying and sadly, very, very sadly it was ultimately disappointing.

Maybe it was my fault I initially thought. Maybe I went in with expectations way to high and no film, no matter how good it was, was going to live up to them. Maybe I thought, this movie wasn't really that disappointing. The action sequences in the sky were digitally amazing, some of Industrial Light and Magic's best work. It was dizzying and it had those moments when you felt like you were part of the action. Guns blazing, planes breaking apart and crashing to the earth, Flying Fortresses under attack and putting up a valiant fight until they succumbed to the relentless attack of the mighty Luftwaffe, some truly gripping sequences. The problems arose however, when the planes came back to earth.

Here was my initial dilemma. Was the acting bad because of the directing? Could Spike Lee have done a better job behind the camera? Granted, I give a lot of credit to Anthony Hemingway for helming the project and having to answer to George Lucas. I would imagine the only harder job on the planet would be President of this country. Would Spike have been able to work with George or vice versa? Anthony Hemingway is an accomplished director, of TV and that's when it hit me. His scope wasn't epic enough. This movie looked like a made for TV movie instead of the seminal piece it should have and could have been. We never really get to know the men themselves outside of their flaws and great flying abilities. We never find out what pushed them to become airmen and why they so badly wanted to fight for a country that hated them. We're left with nothing significant, nothing we could sink our teeth into.

The score by Terence Blanchard was equally disappointing. I am a HUGE fan of Blanchard's and I bought both his Malcolm X and Miracle at St. Anna scores because those were absolutely moving, powerful, and poignant. Red Tails in contrast seemed directionless and uninspired. There didn't seem to be the heroic theme this story deserved. This score told no story and like I wondered if Spike could have done a better job directing, I wondered what this score would have been like had John Williams had a crack at it.

I really wanted this movie to make me walk out of the theater the way I did after seeing Platoon, worn out and exhausted. Instead I walked out scratching my head and wondering if what I had just seen was any good, and that's never good. I won't say don't see it but I will say don't rush out to see it either. Me personally, I'm still holding out hope that one day there will be a movie worthy of those brave and valiant Tuskegee Airmen.