Dead Man Down directed by Niels Arden Oplev is a mystery suspense staring Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper. While the movie falls short of the cloak and dagger mystery aspects, it does slip into a place of human drama and good old fashioned revenge.
Plot:
Niels Arden Oplev, the acclaimed director of the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, makes his American theatrical debut with the new action thriller, DEAD MAN DOWN. Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star as two strangers who are irresistibly drawn to one another by their mutual desire for revenge.
As stated in the plot above, Niels directed Noomi in the awesome original Dragon Tattoo films. While those were amazing beyond words, I had a harder time dealing with the believably this time around. Noomi is a stellar actress and Colin, well good ole Colin is my future husband. He'll get the memo, eventually. With two actors who can spill their guts on the acting table, I wanted a story-line that could tailor to these powerhouses. What we get is a paint by numbers mob story with all the bells and whistles, throw in some badda-bing Albanian style meat-heads and upchucked action. Maybe that was a tad harsh, but the point is; Niels should stick to what he's good at. Drama.
Colin pretty much makes the movie for me. From beginning to end, his character is mysterious, dark, conflicted and intriguing. You can guess what's coming from a mile away and while that aspect of the film was pretty predictable, it's enjoyable to watch him throw the thugs for a loop. The man has Irish fire in his eyes and you team this up with Noomi's touching vulnerability and what you're left, with these two alone, is enough to carry the film.
The plot twists are a bit odd and disjointed at times, with a slow moving pace that takes a while to get the audience where it wants you to be. Again, what was meant to draw you in has a tendency to make the eyes start rolling at the shear absurdity in parts. It's a bit silly here and there and overall needed some finer tuning with the script and editing in general but that's just really getting on the nit pick wagon. This is a ultimately a plot-heavy flick that's got some spastic sparks of hope, by the end you won't be shouting to the rafters over the awesomeness of the film, but you will be entertained enough to feel half way okay about the hefty box office ticket price.
Seven Psychopaths, written and directed by Martin McDonagh, stars Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. A fresh, different film that never takes itself too seriously and is surprisingly entertaining. If nothing else can be gained from this movie at least I found out it sure would be tiring to have a psycho friend.
Plot:
Marty (Farrell) is a struggling writer who dreams of finishing his screenplay, "Seven Psychopaths". Billy (Rockwell) is Marty's best friend, an unemployed actor and part time dog thief, who wants to help Marty by any means necessary. All he needs is a little focus and inspiration. Hans (Walken) is Billy's partner in crime. A religious man with a violent past. Charlie (Harrelson) is the psychopathetic gangster whose beloved dog, Billy and Hans have just stolen. Charlie's unpredictable, extremely violent and wouldn't think twice about killing anyone or anything associated with the theft. Marty is going to get all the focus and inspiration he needs, just as long as he lives to tell the tale.
It's always nice to see Colin acting in a film that shows off his character depth, and Seven Psychopaths does that for the lad and then some. Colin can blow things up and kick some butt when needed, BUT the man can also act his Irish booty off. There's subtlety to his craft and some down right earth shattering moments of realism. He never ceases to amaze me, plus the man's just easy on the eyes. *le sigh*
Looking closer at Sam Rockwell I see a man who can wear many masks as an actor. Sam has this wonderful ability to become his characters, or maybe they become him, but no matter how you look at the guy you'll always find that charismatic quality shining through. He's a little dirty and disheveled, but that's what gives him the edge both on and off screen. Christopher Walken is the man! I don't care what film he's in or who he's playing, the man's an acting god. Period.
The story itself is one that was a little hard to follow at times because there's a lot to keep track of, and almost an overload of secondary plots. Mixed and mashed scenes from present day to past all blend together with a movie script that's currently in the works. I wasn't sure how this would all come full circle but by the end it didn't really matter because the movie's message was received. There's action, and blood, in the film but that's not really the focus of the movie. Writer/Director McDonagh does a great job of mixing humor with action and pacing it all to the mood the audience is supposed to feel. It's very much a story within a story and shot in very vivid scope.
Overall the film is both strange and refreshing, and it really does stretch out from the majority of Hollywood films. I felt like I was the psychiatrist and patient at times, it's entertaining for sure in an oddball kind of way.
Total Recall directed by Len Wiseman and staring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel is a remake to 1990 SciFi hit of the same name. While the effects and action are no doubt amazing the story itself gets drowned out by all the hoopla.
Plot:
Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life - real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police - controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world - Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen.
My first thought on this film is; I've seen it before and frankly better. Inception comes to mind and perhaps Blade Runner or 5th Element. If you're going to base a movie on the layers of reality or perceived reality you've to got bring something fresh, original and deliver it all in a different way. Unfortunately the storyline here gets a major back seat to the fight scenes with almost a video-game feel. Sharon Stone played the original bad girl in the 1990 film and as a fan of Kate I was really excited to see what she'd bring to the table. Again and this is with deep regret I have to say it felt like she was tapping into her Underworld character, Selene, with all the running and jumping plus she does a little of her signature landing moves! That's Underworld stuff girl not to be shared or duplicated! Yes, I'm still a fan of hers and yes she can act her skinny booty off but in this role it was wash rinse repeat.
Colin I think had the heaviest role to fill as Douglas Quaid which was originally played by my ex-Gov-a-na-tor Arnold. Colin starts things out on a very promising foot but as we pick up steam and hit the halfway mark it all starts to fall apart. He spends so much time running and jumping you have to wonder if he's doing a runathon for a local school or something. (PS so glad I didn't' sponsor him cause I would be broke!) All in all the guys still super sexy on screen, looks great with his shirt off, and can hold a scene with his muscles alone I love him but was he as good as Arnold...no not really.
The film as a whole is very flashy for the eye but really what this all lacked was a solid script with smooth transitions from scene to scene. Very choppy in areas that needed a little more segway as we start into the next chapters. For me the best parts of the film happened early and happened quickly. After the midway point I lost some interest and it just got worse from there. A bunch of plot holes as we reach the climatic ending and all the so called "revelations" are brought to light. I talk often about a slow build in films, reaching a climatic ending as our story takes the viewer on a journey. This would be a really great case in point for anyone who wonders what I mean when a movie lacks in the fundamental department.
The best scene for me takes place in a hotel lobby with Colin facing off in a gunfight with his best friend. What's real and what's dream adding in how far will one go to manipulate...great stuff here but not enough to hold the film. A couple classic gems from the original pop up in the remake but let it be known this is by far a very different film and should be judged as such.
Getting 2 and 1/2 'my wife's trying to kill me' sheep
KD
PG-13, 2 hr. 1 min.
Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By: Len Wiseman
Written By: Kurt Wimmer
In Theaters: Aug 3, 2012 Wide
Sharon's Reveiw
I saw the original Total Recall and liked it, but that was along time ago and I don’t remember many details other than the bad acting. I was thoroughly entertained by Colin Farrell… I mean Total Recall. I liked the new twist on the original. In this version, Chemical Warfare destroyed most of the inhabitable space on Earth and the world’s population is now divided into two nations who are struggling for dominance. Space is limited and, wouldn’t you know it, the British want to invade The Colony (Australia) and wipe out everyone there to make more room for them. People travel between the two nations via “The Fall”, basically an enormous elevator that goes through the center of the Earth. I thought this was pretty freaking cool.
There were tons of in your face action scenes, but sometimes they did last a little too long. I think the movie should have been 30 minutes shorter. Colin was great to look at, but Kate Beckinsale was kick ass! I am not a Jessica Biel fan and she paled in comparison to Kate, but it was cool to see an action movie with two strong female characters.
The special effects were top dollar and there were a few fun nods to the original film, but I must admit it seemed like the film-makers put1 cup of Blade Runner, ½ cup of I, Robot, ½ cup of Total Recall and a pinch of Revolutionary War history in a blender. Even so, I had fun watching. If you area die hard action movie fan, then this will be worth your money. If you go expecting the original, you better rent.
Fright Night directed by Craig Gillespie stars Colin (omg you're too hott for words) Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Imogen Poots and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. This is a remake with the same snarky humor as the original mixed with a bunch of genuine scares. Thriller for sure! A definite improvement on the original premise by far, giving audiences a nice revamp (like how I added vamp there) with a very modern twist.
Plot:
Senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all-he's running with the popular crowd and dating the hottest girl in high school. In fact, he's so cool he's even dissing his best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But trouble arrives when an intriguing stranger Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there's something not quite right-and everyone, including Charlie's mom (Toni Collette), doesn't notice. medy-horror classic.
First off let's chat a little about man candy Colin as a dark and shifty vamp, absolutely delicious in his acting role throughout the film. Those eyes hooked me from the get-go; pile on his macho-male confident yet restrained portrayal and you have yourself one fine specimen. Yeow! Finger licking good, ladies and gents. I'm in love with this man yes, but I'm giving this an honest review folks. (But please undead gods give me just one night with this man!) Why Colin has not taken more sexy roles like this one is beyond me, he truly made the film what it is: pure entertainment.
Moving on, overall what you have here is a well thought out script with a good flow of storyline mixed in with action. Any movie that can mention Farscape AND Twilight will no doubt get high marks from this nerd girl. It's how I roll people. ;) For those that love a good scare you'll jump out of your seats a few times and get a good laugh the next moment. Solid story, excellent music score, well shot and wonderfully directed all give further appeal for the movie goer. A banging soundtrack will have you bobbing your head till the final end credits roll on screen.
It was a tad hokey at the end, but really what more were you expecting from a thriller? This movie won't be saving lives with its message so if you're looking for something that's a bit more earth-shattering I recommend you check out something else. It's a vampire movie that sucks, but in just the right way. :)
