How Many Secret Government Agencies Do We Have? "Mile 22"

Mile 22 (2018)

Rated R

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais, John Malkovich, Ronda Rousey,

Directed by Peter Berg

The Story:

James (Wahlberg) leads his covert team to retrieve a potential asset (Uwais) who may have some damaging intelligence at his disposal while seemingly the entire foreign intelligence world converges to kill them all.

You'll rarely get bored when Peter Berg is helming an action flick.

They tend to play quickly, with lots of action and lots of dialogue.

While this helps to hide any plot holes you might otherwise find, it always makes for a fine time at the movies.

The movie starts off with a lively action scene and unfurls quickly after that point.

You can probably surmise how it's going to end long before the credits roll, but it's still a trip worth taking.

Most of the cast is given very little in the way of character development, but the movie also doesn't bother with much downtime to allow for it, so it's unlikely you'll get too connected with the cast as they meet their cinematic fates as the mission unfolds.

:)

Berg and Wahlberg are becoming quite the Director/Actor tandem with enjoyable action flicks that deliver a good viewing and a great box office. I'd be surprised if we don't see them teaming up again in the very near future.

A Truly Bad Day At The Office..."Deepwater Horizon"

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Dylan O'Brien, Gina Rodriguez, Ethan Suplee, Kate Hudson,

Directed by Peter Berg

The Story:

In April 2010, operational supervisor Jimmy Harrell (Russell) and his chief engineer, Mike Williams (Wahlberg) are trying to explain to BP executives why the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is overbudget and behind schedule. BP of course wants no more excuses so they order shortcuts to get caught up and back on schedule. Naturally, bad things are about to happen and the worst oil spill in history is about to occur.

Naturally, this film is based on a true story.

While it's not a documentary, and parts of it are dramatized, what is true is that corporate greed cost men their lives and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the ocean.

When it went to trial, naturally, BP executives got off with no charges.

Go figure.

Peter Berg continues to be one of those efficient directors that seemingly flies under the radar.  He makes a big budget film on a low budget, and makes the most of his cast, crew and editing. They are usually crisp movies that move along at a perfect pace and keep your interest from start to finish.

He re-teams with Walhberg, and set off on the quest to be an action drama that thrills and also leaves you holding your breath wondering how it's going to turn out, and who isn't going to make it.

Those people are honored as the end credits roll.

And that's part of what makes movies like this so difficult to watch.

You're both entertained, but at the end of the day, these weren't just actors getting killed to further the story, these were people who paid the ultimate price trying to do their jobs.

It also makes watching movies like this more than once a rare thing to do.

While they are technically sound and very well crafted, the subject matter doesn't cry out to be watched multiple times as an entertaining experience.

Your mileage may vary.

Final Grade: Solid B

Sticking It To The Man! "Cesar Chavez"

Cesar Chavez (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Michael Pena, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich

Directed by Diego Luna

The Story:

The auto-biography of civil rights/labor leader Cesar Chavez (Pena).  His non-violent tactics drew support from Senator Robert Kennedy (Jack Holmes) and helped organize the local farm workers in California to earn decent wages by attempting to unionize the laborers.  However, his strides for equality on the farms took a toll on his life at home.

I remember learning about Cesar Chavez in high school.  Organizing the farm laborers in California, Chavez is one of the integral civil rights leaders in the late 60s that is overshadowed in the history books.  However, what he lived through needs to remembered and this movie does an excellent job of showing what Chavez and the rest of his people endured in the vineyards of California.

Shot at. Locked up. Sprayed with fertilizer.  All that and more were endured by Chavez and his family and the rest of the union members in their bid for better wages and working conditions for the farm workers.

There are sub-titles for the movie, but there is plenty of English to go around, just letting you know what you're in for.

Very solid biopic, and I'm glad Chavez' story was finally told.


Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Wouldn't need to purchase this one, but one that I could see again in the future.

Would You Get "In The Line Of Fire" Between A Bullet And A President?

In The Line Of Fire (1993)

Rated R for language and violence

Starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott, John Mahoney

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

The Story:

Secret Service Agents Frank Horrigan (Eastwood) and D'Andrea (McDermott) are working the counterfeiting portion of the Secret Service.  Then one night, Horrigan answers a phone call from a stranger (Malkovich) who informs him that he is going to assassinate the President.  This doesn't sit well with Horrigan, as he has already lost a President once: Kennedy.  He vows he's not going to lose another one.  He lobbies to get back on the Presidential detail, but he's old, cranky, and with the President facing re-election, the Chief of Staff (Fred Thompson) wants Horrigan nowhere near the President.  Will Frank be able to take a bullet to save a President this time, or is he doomed to fail again?

I think this is my favorite Eastwood movie.

Doing a quick rundown of titles, yeah, this and Kelly's Heroes are my two favorite films by Eastwood of all time.

The movie is extremely well written, there are excellent actors in every role, and the tension continues to build as the movie rolls along.

Eastwood plays the aging Agent perfectly.  Still with a love and drive for the job, he plays Horrigan perfectly.  The scene in the break room after his return to the Presidential detail is hysterically funny.

The attempted romance between Russo and Eastwood is handled well and does not overly complicate nor bog down the action and tension that is building in the movie.  It works to give the audience a chance to catch our breath as we prepare for the next stage of the game of cat and mouse.

Naturally, if you're going to give Eastwood a competent adversary, you want one of the best.

Cue John Malkovich as the quietly explosive assassin.  He wants the challenge of beating Horrigan at the game.  Bitter adversaries, yet with equal amounts of respect for what each other does and each work to not underestimate the other, because it will be costly to do so.

I would say it's been over a decade since I watched this one, and that's a shame because it really is an excellent film.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and I'll have to put a sticky note to remind me not to wait over a decade to watch this one again.

Further Proof That Sequels Are Rarely As Good As The Original..."RED 2"

So close...

The Story:

Frank (Bruce Willis) is enjoying a quiet life with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) when Marvin (John Malkovich) comes calling.  He tries to warn them that danger is heading their way, but Frank wants to lay low and keep Sarah safe.  Oddly enough, Sarah is actually itching to see some action again, even though she is ill-prepared for it.  Then before you know it, trouble hits and the guys are on the run again, trying to figure out how to save the world and clear their names before they are killed.  This time however, it looks like Victoria (Helen Mirren) has been  hired by the British to make sure that Frank doesn't succeed.

Uh-oh!

I loved the first film.

One of my Best of the Year films, and one that I can watch at just about any time.

Was it the Morgan Freeman factor?  Hard to say.

They also had a much better 'bad guy' who was just doing his job, Karl Urban.

Here...

Not so much.

It's a muddled mess as they jaunt to Europe trying to evade nearly every government and assassin that is trying to take them down.

Including Frank's old flame, Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Here's a piece of advice for successful movies that want to franchise:

Don't hire Catherine Zeta-Jones for your sequel.

Ocean's Eleven rocked.
Ocean's Twelve...not so much.
Ocean's Thirteen thankfully regained much of the original swagger.

So I guess, that bodes well for Red 3!

:)

Instead, you've got Neal McDonough tracking the team, and he's great, but no Karl Urban.  Then you throw in an Asian assassin (Byung-hun Lee) plus everyone else after Frank...

And now you have to find time to squeeze in "The Package" (Anthony Hopkins).

They went with an "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" approach when they should have tried to dial it back a few notches.

Ah well, it wasn't a complete waste, but it was unable to capture the lightning in a  bottle of the first film.

Better luck next go round.

Final Grade: B- / C+ range.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Like I said, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as the first one.  I'm sure I'll get it though. : )

Read This Review...Or the Bunny Gets It! "Con Air"

He's got the whole world...
In his hands!

The Story:

Ex-Ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) gets sent to prison for killing a man in self-defense.  He does his time, and when it's time to go home, he decides to hop a flight on Con-Air, a prison transport.  But not just any transport, this one is moving the worst of the worst, and they just decided to break free.  If Poe has any hope of getting home to see his wife and daughter, he's going to have to save the day.

If I say "popcorn movie", this is the movie that could easily be in the dictionary as the definition.

It's loud.
It's crazy.
It's fun.

In fact, while Cage is playing his best cajun-accented hero, he gets support from some of the best villains ever assembled:

John Malkovich. Danny Trejo. Ving Rhames. Steve Buscemi.

They're chewing up the scenery, and making Poe's life miserable.

Realizing that he has a sense of duty to a friend onboard, as well as a female marshal who will likely be killed if he leaves her alone, Poe passes up an opportunity to leave the plane and plots to save the day from inside the plane.

Luckily, he's got some help on the ground in the form of John Cusack who races to help Poe get to safety.

The movie is fast-paced, written by Scott Rosenberg who also helped Cusack with High Fidelity and went back for Cage once more with Gone in 60 Seconds.

Given that this was the first time Simon West sat in the director's chair, he knocked it out of the park.  He could never have made another movie, and I would have considered him a great one-hit wonder. 

West sort of disappeared, but came roaring back in the last few years with The Mechanic and Expendables 2 last year. 

Welcome back to the Popcorn Movie genre Mr. West, you've been missed!

Yes, I can pop this movie in, anytime and just lose myself in 2 hours of pure adrenaline fun.

It's not a perfect movie...

But it's perfectly fun!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it. I love it. I have seen it so many times, I've lost count! :)

If You Only Watch One Zombie Love Story...Make Sure It's "Warm Bodies"!!

All you need is love.

The Story:

In America when a zombie outbreak has claimed most of humanity, a walled city of survivors led by Grigio (John Malkovich) try and survive by keeping out the undead, and making dangerous journeys outside of their walls to resupply their city.  His daughter, Julie (Teresa Palmer) goes on the latest foray, and their group is attacked by zombies, and nearly all of them killed.  However, one zombie, R (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself drawn to Julie...especially after consuming the brains of her boyfriend.  He saves her, and takes her back home with him.  As they bond, he keeps her safe from the other zombies, and then something mysterious and magical begins to happen.

Perhaps the most family-friendly zombie story you could ever want to watch.

But don't let that dissuade you, Warm Bodies is actually quite the charming movie with, all pun intended, a lot of heart.

It's simply not bathed in gore.  And that, in and of itself, is not necessarily a bad thing.

R narrates the movie, and it's a hoot to listen to a zombie's thoughts as he goes through his day.

The movie also wisely adds a second layer of zombies with the Bones, so that when the final act rolls, the conflicts and resolution all pay off correctly.

Chalk this one up as a win in the horror, comedy, romantic comedy, romantic zombie comedy, pretty much genre smashing entry into film lore.


All of the kids watched it and enjoyed it.  Even momma didn't run away from the film, though her interest level was probably lower than everyone else.  She's a trooper though and stayed till the end.

Then she mocked my choice of movies.  : )

This adds to the list of recent, fun horror movies like Detention, Cabin in the Woods and John Dies at the End.  It's a trend I hope continues!

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes to both!

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 61 ~ Con Air

Everyone has a favorite Nicolas Cage role.
Don't lie, you know you do.

And no list of 100 Greatest Movies can truly be complete without an appearance by Nicolas Cage.  Amazingly, this will not be Mr. Cage's only appearance on the countdown.







You've been warned!

Today, I proudly present you with Nicolas Cage's greatest movie:  Con Air!

I can feel the eyes rolling from here, but this movie is all kinds of awesome, wrapped in greatness, and deep-fried in outstanding.

It probably shouldn't be, but it is.

It's Die Hard...on a plane!  Mostly.

It's Nicolas Cage, with his best Elvis Impression since Honeymoon in Vegas as a convicted Army Ranger (in one of the most bogus travesties of justice ever committed on screen...) who finally gets out of jail and simply wants to go home and see his wife, and the little girl who was born while he was in prison.

Naturally, the most effective way to get our hero home: 

Fly on a planeload of felons being transferred to another prison facility.

What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

And then some!

Your gang of villains is headed up by the always enjoyable John Malkovich.  He chews the scenery as usual, and that is a good thing.  Ving Rhames provides the muscle.  Then you bring in the always effective, uber-creepy Steve Buscemi...

Who steals the whole movie right out from under everyone.

Then you have your cop on the ground (see, I told you, Die Hard on a Plane!) where John Cusack (!!) attempts to stop that plane... by himself.

That's right, John Cusack went action star on you, right before your eyes.

The DVD should come with a side order of bacon and s'mores, that's how awesome it is.

I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've watched this one.  But it's a lot.

And I've loved every viewing of it.

Simon West should have stopped directing after this, his first feature.  We'll see how he does at the helm of Expendables 2.