Armored

This week I saw two Matt Dillon movies. Both of them came out around the same time, have one word titles, and involved robbing armored cars. They were also both only mediocre.

Armored is about several armored truck employees who decide to steal 42 million dollars rather than deliver it. Their plan meets resistance when their newest coworker decides not to go along after someone is shot during the heist. As a result, he locks himself in the bulletproof vehicle while his partners try to break in and kill him before the banks realize their shipments are late.

This movie felt like it could have been a made for TV movie and it couldn't have been more than an hour and half long. I liked Dillon in this role more than I did in Takers and it helped to have Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne playing corrupt security guards. Armored is a guy movie. In fact there is only one female character in the entire movie.

This was not a life changing movie. It was pretty fake, but I still enjoyed it enough to give it 6.6 stars.

Takers

I recently saw Takers on DVD, and I wasn't too impressed. Takers is about a group of bank robbers and their attempt to pull a heist. Matt Dillon plays the cop who is trying to capture them. This movie was a mix of The Italian Job and GQ Magazine. Every character is a young, cocky, good looking guy who parades around in fancy clothes most of the movie. It made me laugh how hard they tried to make these crooks look so glamorous.

I'm all for action, suspense, and cops and robber movies, but here are a several things I didn't like about this movie.

1. The first action scene culminated with the most blatant and textbook example of "Cool guys don't look at explosions".
2. Hayden Christensen pretending to play Jazz piano during one of the scenes.
3. Hayden Christensen beating up 3 tough street smart gangsters by himself.
4. Hayden Christensen wearing that stupid hat the entire movie.
5. The serious dramatic music when Hayden Christensen dies.
6. When two of the characters are back stabbed by one of their partners they vow vengeance on him, but then do a Butch Cassidy and charge the cops who have them surrounded. How does a suicidal move like that help them get revenge on their betrayer?
7. The classic 3 gun draw and stand off at the end of the movie.

This movie had some potential, but it ultimately disappointed. It really bothered me how hard these guys were trying to act cool. By the way, I'm not a Hayden hater. I was OK with him as Anakin Skywalker and I liked him in Jumper, but accepting him as a tough thug in this movie was asking too much. I give it 5.9 Stars. It would have been higher if it weren't for that hat!

Fair Game

I recently saw Fair Game and I have to confess that I had a hard time getting into this movie. I'm not sure why, but it didn't really capture my attention. Maybe I was expecting Naomi Watts to be more like Angelina Jolie in Salt. Perhaps I'm not mature enough to enjoy a drama unless it features special effects and action.

To be fair, I probably shouldn't put much blame on the movie. I may have been tired or in a bad mood, but I felt kind of bored while I was watching it, then all of a sudden it was over. Maybe I was concerned about what kind of political message the movie makers were trying to send. I don't know what my problem was but I sure felt like I missed something when I read everyones glowing reviews.

Fair Game is based on actual events and I give it 6.7 stars. One thing I appreciate about this movie is that Naomi Watts actually looks like Valerie Plame. Good job to the casting and make up department. I will try to be more vigilant for my next review.

Limitless

I recently saw Limitless and I really enjoyed it. Limitless is about a loser struggling writer who is introduced to a drug call NZT that helps you access 100% of your brain power. By taking the drug he is able to organize and clean his life up and make some amazing changes. He multiplies his money, talents, and intellect in a very short amount of time but soon finds out that there are dangerous side effects associated with the drug. If that wasn't enough of a problem, there are also people who are trying to kill him for it.

I have mixed feelings about the subject matter since the movie kind of glorifies drug use, but it also addresses drug abuse, and dependence. Since NZT is a fictional drug, it didn't hit home as hard as it would if the featured drug was one that currently plagues society.

There were scenes when I felt Cooper was almost being transformed into a superhero just from taking the pill similar to how Popeye was empowered by eating Spinach. This movie features drama, action, suspense, and science fiction.

All of the performances were good and I really liked Bradley Cooper in this. He did a great job of portraying a wide range of emotions during the ups and downs he went through as a result of using the drug. I also liked the visual effects. They were subtle, but very effective.

This is one of the better movies I have seen in a long time. It was original and entertaining and it was better than what I was expecting from the trailer. I give it 8.2 stars.

Get Low

Get Low is a movie that didn't get much attention while it was in the theater. I had not even heard of it until it was recently released to video. It stars Robert Duvall as a mean old hermit who lives on the outskirts of a small Tennessee town during the 1930s. He gets the idea to plan his funeral and have a giant funeral party for himself while he is still alive. Since the town hates and fears him, he entices them to attend by having a raffle to win his property after he dies.

Duvall enlists the help of Bill Murry, who plays the local funeral home director along with Lucas Black who plays his assistant. Together they help plan the event. I was expecting more of a comedy, but this movie is not a knee slapper. Get Low has a few funny scenes and some dry humor that makes you smile, but it is definitely a drama, not a comedy.  This movie slowly reveals the mysterious details behind the hermit until we finally understand what happened 40 years ago in his life that caused him to live a life of self imposed exile.

The acting was top notch. Bill Cobbs and Sissy Spacek also have good performances. The pace is kind of slow, but overall it is a nice production. I give Get Low 7.3 stars mostly because I think Duvall is such a great actor.