Lee Daniels' The Butler

See this movie.  See it because it tells a compelling story.  See it for some dang good performances.  See it because it will give you a unique perspective on a turbulent era in American history (then again, isn't every era?).  

The Butler (I'm not into indulging directors' egos) is based on a magazine article (can you believe it?) about an actual African-American butler who served through about 6 presidents' administrations, starting with Eisenhower.  As the civil rights era gets hammered out the hard way, and the butler's own son takes the activist route toward equality, Cecil Gaines goes about changing the consciousness of America in his own quiet, humble, dignified way.  

I'm adhering to my vow to keep posts short, but you'll get a kick out of the fascinating casting here.  One of my favorites was Jane Fonda as Nancy Regan!  And a remarkably unglamorous Mariah Carey is powerful without uttering a word.

Very clever release date on this film, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech.  Let us never forget.

Red Dawn (2012)

Back in the mid 80s, Hollywood wowed audiences with Red Dawn.  It is now considered a cult classic.  Patrick Swayze starred in that wildly original film, which required just a bit of suspension of disbelief!

Disbelief?

Well, if you consider a movie about Russians invading America, taking over a small town, and setting up shop a bit unbelievable, so do I!  Do you remember that movie?  In it, a group of tough, rebellious teens flees to the woods and fights the commie invaders with guts and grit, just to save their homes...and the U.S. of A.!

Seems some producers thought they could duplicate the offbeat film in a more current version.  In the 2012 remake, the invaders are North Koreans and the kids are armed with heavy duty weapons!  Chris Hemsworth is the only known actor, just as Swayze was in the original.  Hemsworth is the handsome hunk who faced off against evil in the horror flick Cabin in the Woods.

Does the remake succeed?  Yes indeed!

No spoiler, so I can provide no details, but you'll really get into the action when you watch this flick.  The North Koreans are extremely rotten dudes, and so the kids in the woods have every right to get revenge.  And get revenge they do!

If you decide to view Red Dawn, be in a light-hearted frame of mind.  Don't ask too many questions about the plot.  Don't think too much about reality.  In fact, don't think!

A mindless but engaging action film for viewers seeking a mental escape!

Time of Death (LMN movie)

Hi readers!  Sometimes we have stereotypes that need fixin'!

Stereotype 1:  Blondes are dumb!  Stereotype 2:  LMN movies are soppy and stupid!

I've often reviewed LMN mysteries and lauded them in this blog.  I came across one the other day that absolutely knocked by socks off!  Sure, a lot of LMN offerings are not so great.  Mostly, the made-for-women network offers tales of men who are rats and women who are abused by those rats.

But lest ye be mistaken, don't put the mysteries in that category.

Time of Death is a fantastically crafted piece.  It stars Kathleen Robertson, the pretty blonde above, as the brilliant detective who must solve the puzzle.

And just what is the puzzle?

As the title suggests, folks get killed at exactly the same time...with way too much frequency!  Is there a link between the murders?  Is the culprit someone in the corporate world?  Why is there no modus operandi?  Some die by getting pushed out of windows, others by getting shot.  What in the world is the pattern?  And why do the victims all die on different days at the same minute on the clock?

No spoiler, dear readers, so you must find out for yourself!

Of course, that beautiful detective works with a handsome young fellow, her new partner, and you can imagine what those two do when they're not sleuthing!  Yes, the love motif is fun too.

I guarantee that this mystery will grab you and not let go.  Great filmmaking on the channel that often gets maligned yet offers diamonds in the rough.

Grade:   A+    Find this film on your TV listings and go for it!  You won't be sorry!

Bait

BAIT is outlandish!

Here's the scenario:  A bunch of folks in a supermarket are in the basement of a grocery store when, of all things, a massive tidal wave comes ashore.

No spoiler, but just imagine a basement that is flooded with exits blocked by debris.  The only place for the survivors to hang out is on top of the shelves that are not under water.

Sound exciting?  Wait!  There's more!  A huge shark is trapped in the basement with the humans.  And he just happens to be hungry!

Think of Jaws meets, well, tsunami wave.  Think of your favorite disaster-survival film.  The people trapped below must get out alive without becoming... BAIT!

Haha!

And there's more!  Sitting atop those shelves are folks falling in love, criminals being criminals, and old and young trying to figure out the generation gap!

It's a hoot.  Leave your brains at the door.  Leave all your disbelief at the door.  Leave your good sense at the door.

Then turn on the film and enjoy!

Oh, by the way, one fellow suspended above the water loses the lower half of his body to the shark in a wonderful scene that will stay more than a while in your mind...what's left of it after viewing this mindless wonder of a flick.

Highly entertaining for folks seeking some low-brow fun!

The East

The EAST is a very unusual film about a rarely discussed topic: how rational people join cults and somehow become part of the movements.

First, check out Patty Hearst on the right.  Remember her story? She was the daughter of a wealthy newspaper magnate attending Berkeley back in 1974.  One day, the SLA, a group of leftist terrorists, kidnapped her for ransom to increase their coffers.  Next thing, the straight-laced, never-in-trouble Patty, was seen robbing a bank with the radicals.  Shocker!

Now check out the picture in the upper left.  That pretty blonde is Brit Marling.  Who?  Go back and check her out playing opposite Richard Gere in Arbitrage.  Yes, that's her.  She was great in that film, and almost stole the spotlight from the very talented Mr. Gere.

No spoiler, but Brit plays an agent who infiltrates a group of radicals called The East, who hide out and live communally in a cult-like manner.  When Brit joins up, she is not too fond of the group.  Soon their strange love for each other, and their mission to take down corporations who abuse the environment, capture her imagination.

Enough said.  What happens then?  Gotta go see the film to find out!

Don't expect Hollywood-style action or even a lively pace.  Sometimes the film drags a bit trying to get its message across.  Not an A+ film by any means. But with Ellen Page, who dazzled in Juno, also in the mix, the film sort of grabs and holds on.

I'm back to thinking about Patty Hearst, so the film must have touched me at some level.

Curious about Patty?  She was captured, found guilty of bank robbery when her "brainwashing" defense did not hold up, and served two years in prison before Jimmy Carter pardoned her.

Strange behavior indeed.

Olympus Has Fallen

Strangely, there are currently two movies out about terrorists attacking and taking over the White House.  Forget the one with the easiest name to remember, White House Down.  It is stupid and badly done.  But RUN out and see Olympus Has Fallen!

I'm no spoiler, but you can guess what happens:  Very evil dudes take over the president's residence, and good guys come to the rescue and get it back.

Here's the kicker:  In the movie called Olympus, the taking of the White House is so damn realistic it will make your hair stand on end!

Right, I'm talking about the way the bad guys assault and dominate the White House.  You might expect to say, hey, as usual, I'll have to suspend my disbelief about how terrorists grab the most famous house in the land.  After all, aren't there a gazilliion agents and military folks guarding the White House?

Yes indeed!  But that does not mean that it is impossible to take it over.

How?  Haha...  For you to imagine, dear viewers!

Got your attention?

Great acting and a solid script enhance the realism of the movie.  Aaron Eckhardt is perfect as the President.  Gerard Butler is a man's man as the hero who fights the baddies.  And Rick Yune is scary as the cool-headed terrorist.  Don't forget about Morgan Freeman as the Acting President.

All in all, it's a fantastic ride!  Super action.  Most of all, believable.

If I were in charge of White House security and went to see this film, I'd have trouble sleeping at night!

Enjoy.

World War Z (WWZ)

Hi movie fans!

Check out the wonderful picture above.  That would be your favorite star, ladies, Brad Pitt, with his wife nearby and yes, a zombie with a knife in the back seat!

Does that whet your appetite?  If not, it sure whets the zombie's appetite! Haha.

I'm a zombie film lover, so I must admit to some bias before I offer my two cents on this delightful romp.  I find The Walking Dead series on TV absolutely captivating in its action and symbolism, and I watch almost every film made on the zombie theme.  OK, I confess: I'm weird when it comes to this genre!

WWZ?  A fine classic among this cult.  What makes it so good?

First off, the actors. Mireille Enos, the hero of the TV series The Killing, has a hauntingly beautiful face that expresses worry and angst every time she smilles. She is good!  Opposite her is none other than Brad himself.

In my mind, Mr. Pitt has gotten a bum rap, because the ladies go for him due to his looks.  Fact is, he's a damn fine actor. From the day he leaped into the libidos of the ladies in his role as the hitchhiker in Thelma and Louise, to the wonderful work he did in 12 Monkeys, to so many other portraits, Brad can really act!

Second positive point, the action.  Wow!  I will never spoil a movie for viewers, but these zombies are scary!  See, they don't just drag their feet like your standard zombie.  They run!  And fast!  In one of the most imaginative scenes ever, the undead, as they are called, scale a wall like ants!  Amazing!

Third, the story sort of works.  I can't give it away, but there's a strong plot line having to do with epidemiology.  How did the zombies get the disease?  Why does it spread?  How can it be stopped?

Of course, the film does not challenge us mentally.  It's all for entertainment.  So if you're in the mood for some lighthearted action, and lots of super film effects, get out and see this one!

Don't get eaten on the way!