White House Down

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Second Term

7.0 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Some language, a brief sexual image, sequences of intense action violence, and intense gunfire and explosions
Release Date: June 28, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes

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Director: Roland Emmerich
Writers: James Vanderbilt
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, James Woods, Jimmi Simpson, Nicolas Wright

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SYNOPSIS:  While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.

REVIEW: Director Roland Emmerich is known for his summer tentpole disaster films, including 2012 and Independence Day. He returns with another turn at the wheel with more mundane fare than aliens and the end of the world. James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) writes a story about terrorists against the White House and the President.

John Cale (Channing Tatum, This is the End) is a Capitol policeman assigned to a protective detail for the Speaker of the House Raphelson (Richard Jenkins, Jack Reacher), back from serving three tours in Afghanistan and trying to get back into his politically inclined daughter's good graces. When John takes his daughter Emily (Joey King, Oz the Great and Powerful) to the White House for a job interview for the presidential secret service protective detail and afterward for a White House tour, John realizes that he has just walked him and his daughter into a terrorist ambush against President Sawyer (Jamie Foxx, Django Unchained). Torn between protecting the daughter he loves and the presidency he respects, John must make hard choices to discover if he has what it takes.

Armageddon and Deep Impact, The Prestige and The Illusionist, and countless other film pairs that share the same concept from separate studios forced to duke it out in the same film season, White House Down will take its place with the earlier released Olympus Has Fallen. The question is which one is the better film?

While Roland Emmerich has a string of successful summer disaster blockbusters under his belt, Gerard Butler's Olympus Has Fallen seems to be the Armageddon to White House Down's Deep Impact. In comparison, while White House Down has all the slick and signature look of Emmerich's films, and that Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx make a decent comedy pair, the story falls a little flat when it comes to full-on action. The fight choreography and gunfights… Olympus Has Fallen sweeps the board against what Tatum and Foxx have to offer. Both filmss have a child in jeopardy, Olympus... has the President's son and White House... has Cale's daughter in trouble. The villains in each could be a draw in terms of their dastardly motivation. Olympus Has Fallen only had Eckhart and Butler as the main acting draws. White House Down boasts James Wood, Jamie Foxx, Channing Tatum, Maggie Gyllenhall, Richard Jenkins and a few other notable actors. White House Down is the more comedic of the two… although lacking against Olympus Has Fallen's straight on hard-core action with a little dose of snarky rapport.

If these movies came out in different seasons or different years they would be judged on their own merits. Since Olympus Has Fallen came out first its review is based on its own merits, while the second in line White House Down is forced to live in the shadow of a first born twin. The Channing Tatum character is just trying to get into a job that his daughter will respect, while Gerard Butler's character was a top notch Secret Service agent who lost everything trying to keep his head above water.

Enough comparisons! White House down is a decent story of lesser value than Emmerich's Independence Day or 2012, but less epic and less well put together. Was Emmerich rushed to get this flick out quick? We may never know!

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Knowings Half The Battle

7.8 out of 10 | DVD or Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Intense sequences of combat violence, brief sensuality, language, and martial arts actin
Release Date: March 28, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

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Director: Jon M. Chu
Writers:  Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Ray Park, Bruce Willis, Jonathan Pryce, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, Luke Bracey, Walton Goggins, Arnold Vosloo, Joseph Mazzello, RZA, Jim Palmer, Matt Gerald

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SYNOPSIS:  The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

REVIEW: Director Jon M. Chu, known for his choreographed films such as Step Up 3D and his rockumentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, may not have been the first choice for an action/adventure genre film, but he is versed in 3D. Written by Zombieland scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, we can only hope that the Joes are in good hands.

After the fall and capture of cobra commander the G.I. Joes, led by Duke (Channing Tatum, Side Effects), run most of the United States government's covert military missions. When riots break out after the assassination of Pakistan's president, the Joes are deployed to the desert to find and retrieve nuclear warheads left in enemy hands amidst the chaos. When the mission is a success, the Joe team is ambushed by their own government and killed. Only a handful of Joes escape, including Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson, Fast Five), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki, Red Dawn - 2012) and Flint (D.J. Cotrona, Detroit 1-8-7). As they make their way to safer ground, the President (Jonathan Pryce, Dark Blood) who ordered the hit on the Joes reveals himself as the master shape changer Zartan (Arnold Vosloo, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) plotting to take over the world under the direction of Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey). With the assistance of Snake Eyes (Ray Park, Avarice), Jinx (Elodie Yung, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), cobra loyalist Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee, I Saw the Devil), and retired General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis,A Good Day to Die Hard), the Joes must fight against time and the empowered Cobra forces to stop nuclear war and total Cobra world domination.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is the long gestating and shelved sequel to the Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's original Hasbro action figure legacy. In the 1980s, the toy company created cartoons like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and He-Man and the Master of the Universe in an effort to sell their toy lines. Now, the cartoons and action figures have made the leap to the silver screen to popular effect.

With the sequel, Dwayne Johnson embodies the heavy gunner Roadblock, a staple of the Joe universe and the center of the sequel's story. Snake Eyes, Duke, and Storm Shadow return from the original Rise of Cobra. Cobra Commander returns from a cold imprisonment, voiced and cast by Luke Bracey instead of Gordon-Levitt. Sienna Miller's Baroness and Christopher Eccleston's Destro have been written out the story entirely or with a quick dismissive scene. New addition Firefly, played byRay Stevenson (Thor), gives the bad guys new life. He actually is the only major baddie in the whole bunch. Cobra Commander is used too sparingly, Storm Shadow is trying to find his own center, Zartan is busy with his presidential duties, and the aforementioned Baroness and Destro are gone completely. Other than nameless cobra soldiers, Firefly supplies enough southern arsonist craziness to keep the tables turned on the Joe team.

The story starts off strong, introducing the Joe team members like their statistic cards on the back of their action figure packaging. The Joe initial incursion to retrieve the stolen warheads is slick and well-choreographed, paving the way for an expectation of strong action throughout. But after Snake Eyes and Jinx raid a remote mountain retreat, the action and pace lags quite a bit, relying heavily on the characters left behind like Roadblock, Snake Eyes, and Firefly to complete the heavy lifting. Even General Joe Colton, Bruce Willis himself, comes across a little flat in spite of Willis' usual snarky and cock-sure demeanour.

The 3-D effects in G.I. Joe: Retaliation are pretty cool. The effects are used exceptionally well during the fight scenes and gun battles. When Snake Eyes and Jinx go on a retrieval mission in the mountains, the use of depth overhanging the sheer drops is very apparent. During these scenes be sure that you're not afraid of heights or have vertigo. I think the director's experience with dance choreography from Step Up 3D and his other films served him well to block out the action sequences.

A movie that starts off as a revenge film for fallen comrades in arms and morphs into a desperate attempt to save the world from overwhelming forces of evil oppressors starts off exciting enough, but ends up with a lack luster finish. The sequel does pick up where the original left off, continuing the same storyline, but not even 'The Rock' and Ray Stevenson can save it from itself.

For fans of the cartoon and the original film, G.I. Joe: Retaliation is decent enough action fair to get the job done. But if you're looking for superior storytelling and over-the-top action you may want to look elsewhere. Now you know. And knowings half the battle!

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Side Effects

DRAMA, SUSPENSE/THRILLER

One Pill Can Change Your Life

★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 | Rental

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Rated: R Sexuality, nudity, violence and language.
Release Date: February 8, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Scott Z. Burns
Cast: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones

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SYNOPSIS:  Emily and Martin are a successful New York couple whose world unravels when a new drug prescribed by Emily's psychiatrist - intended to treat anxiety - has unexpected side effects.

REVIEW: Steven Soderbergh has been been busy lately. He directed Contagion and Haywire in 2011, Magic Mike in 2012, and now Side Effects to start the new year. Contagion writer Steve Z. Burns reteams with Soderbergh, looking to recreate the tension they created two years ago. 

Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law, Rise of the Guardians) works long hours at the hospital, sees numerous patients at his own practice, and participates in pharmaceutical studies - all in an effort to keep his wife and stepson living a comfortable lifestyle. Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara, Prometheus) waits for her husband Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum, Magic Mike) to be release from prison where he was incarcerated for four years for insider trading. Upon his release, Emily keeps a brave face but finds herself struggling to keep her emotions in check and her mental health balanced. After she runs her car into a parking garage concrete wall, Emily is visited by Dr. Banks as a psych consult. Released from the hospital, Emily starts to see Dr. Banks as a patient. After consulting Emily's previous psychiatrist Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Broken City), Dr. Banks prescribes Abrixa as a medication to fight her depression. After continued treatment, Emily is worse off than before, causing a sleepwalking incident that puts her in the psych ward again. As Dr. Banks reputation and personal life come into question, and his life starts to unravel, Dr. Banks takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of Emily and her strange surreal life.

Steven Soderberg brings another one of his stylize and cinematic films, akin to Contagion and Traffic, to screen. He uses his signature lighting, and alternating warm and cool tones to tell the story just as engaging as any of the plot points. Scott Z. Burns' story is slow and steady, setting up for a more interesting third act. The slow pace of the film allows director Soderberg to use his visual craft to build the story. With a movie of this type, it is important to build a proper foundation. Law, Mara, Zeta-Jones, and Tatum help to build those blocks, but the story suffers due to unnecessary waiting. Jude Law shows why he is such an exceptional actor. Rooney Mara, fresh off the Prometheus and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo also shows her ability as an acting chameleon. The character of Emily is the most crucial to the success of the story, and Mara does a superb job getting the job done.

The halfway point of the film is where the pace picks up and when the film become worthwhile. As Dr. Banks life unravels, his practice folds, and his marriage suffers, Jonathan finds himself on the wrong end of life's diagnosis. Not all the pieces fit and not all the results seem likely, but yet he finds that he is on the declining slope of a downward spiral. The thought of losing control of one's faculties brings uncertainty to where both Emily and Dr. Banks may end up, and keeps up the intrigue.

Dr. Jonathan Banks answers a question from an inquiring party as to why he practices psychiatry in United States versus the UK. He replies that citizens of the United Kingdom feel that psychiatry and psychiatric medicines is for people who are sick and that Americans believe psychiatry and psychiatric medicine is for people looking to get better. That statement reveals much of the practice of pharmaceutical trials, patients going to numerous doctors, and the combination of old and new marketed drugs assisting in mental recovery. All points to a mental health industry that isn't looking to make anybody better but instead wanting to line pockets. So is it any wonder that Rooney Mara's Emily may or may not succeed in beating the charges against her even with her history of mental instability.

With a long set up and careful crafting of the necessary pieces of the puzzle, Side Effects is a movie that is well-done and well-crafted, but needed to get the audience engaged with a faster pace. The direction is good, the acting is top notch, and the overall story is solid. With any mystery of this type the success or failure of the film based on quick set up and an intriguing investigation. The cat and mouse game between the major characters is the best part of the film.

Side Effects could have been a great thriller. Soderberg is a respected and talented director. The cast is exceptional. But slow pacing and some obvious outcomes affects just how many side effects were not listed on the bottle.

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Magic Mike

It's Raining Men

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Rated: R  Language, brief graphic nudity, pervasive sexual content and some drug use.
Release Date: June 29, 2012
Runtime:  1 hour 50 minutes

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Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: Reid Carolin
Cast:  Matthew McConaughey, Channing Tatum, Olivia Munn. Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer

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SYNOPSIS: An experienced male stripper takes a younger dancer named The Kid under his wing, teaching him the ways of dancing, partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

REVIEW: Steven Soderbergh, director of films such as Contagion, The Ocean's trilogy, and the recent Haywire, takes a turn on the stage with a group of male strippers. With a story written by scribe Reid Carolin (Earth Made of Glass), who also makes an appearance in the film, Soderbergh and a buff cast try to make the most they can for tips.

Thirty-year-old Mike (Channing Tatum, The Vow) spends his days as a roof tiler, running a mobile custom detailing service, and creating one of a kind furniture concepts. At night, he rules the stage as Magic Mike in a all-male revue. When down-and-outer Adam (Alex Pettyfer, I Am Number Four) misses the mark on the construction site, Mike takes pity on him at a nightclub then at the stripper show. When muscle head Tarzan (Kevin Nash, Rock of Ages) can't perform, Adam, nicknamed 'The Kid' by Mike, takes the stage and delights the female audience. Learning the stripping basics from owner and former stripper Dallas (Matthew McConaughey, Bernie) and hanging out with Mike in their spare time, Adam quickly becomes accustomed to the lifestyle of easy money, drugs, alcohol, and adoring women. Adam's sister Brooke (Cody Horn, Occupant) worries that the lifestyle will corrupt her little brother but charges Mike with the task of keeping him safe and on the straight. But while Mike tries to find solid footing in his own life and to create a solid financial future for himself, he looses sight of how deep the young Adam is falling into the trappings of the trade.

In 2000, Steven Soderbergh was nominated for directing Erin Brockovich and took home the directing Oscar for the dramatic drug-laced Traffic. From the clinical, slowly gestating work of Contagion to the dry stoic charm of The Informant!, Soderbergh's directing career is both prolific and varied. With Magic Mike, the director trades in the grainy hot sepia of Traffic for the bright lights and neon reds and blues of Tampa pursuing the more desirable location of Miami. He balances the glitz and the sweat of the stage and clubs with the reality of what lives backstage.

Rumored to be partially based on Channing Tatum's own experiences as a male dancer, Magic Mike delivers the seedy to go to with the staged sweat. A peek behind the velvet curtains and through all of the props reveals chiseled men who sew their own costumes, come up with their own themed acts, and pump up before their time on stage, both with bar bells and with other contraptions. Women scream with ecstacy with dollar bills in their hands around the stage while Adam 'The Kid' starts dealing the drug of the same name to enhance his already bulging wallet.

Channing Tatum pops and locks his way around the stage with ease, while his character struggles to move to the next stage of his life. McConaughey's chiseled Dallas runs the show as owner, banging on bongos and shouting 'alright, alright, alright' as a homage to his own real life. Pettyfer's Adam goes from rundown to runway. The rest of the ab-packed chracters includes Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello, What to Expect When You're Expecting), Ken (Matt Bomer, In Time), and Tito (Adam Rodriguez, CSI). The women in Mike's life include good-timer Joanna (Olivia Munn, I Don't Know How She Does It) and the more permanent Joanna.

Magic Mike is much more than the rock hard abs and pumped up biceps portrayed in the commercials and trailers. Where the staged dancing and piped-in music stop, an inkling of something more real starts. Proving that earning easy money does not equate to an easy life, even the accolades of ovulating women may not be enough for a fulfilled life.

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WORTH: Matinee or Rental

21 Jump Street

Vulgar and Hilarious

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Rated: R  Drug material, crude and sexual content, pervasive language, some violence and teen drinking
Release Date: March 16, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

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Director:  Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Writers: Michael Bacall, Jonah Hill, based on the television series created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell
Cast:  Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, DeRay Davis, Ice Cube, Chris Parnell, Ellie Kemper

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SYNOPSIS: A pair of over enthusiastic and underachieving are demoted to a defunct police program where they are sent undercover as high school students to discover the source of a synthetic drug ring.

REVIEW: From Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the directors of the soon-to-be classic Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Am I kidding? You be the judge), takes a shot at their first big-screen non-animated adventure. Based on a script and story by Michael Bacall (Project X) and Jonah Hill, and sourced from Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh's 1980s Fox television series of the same name, will 21 Jump Street be a bulls eye or miss the mark entirely?

Insecure geek Schmidt (Jonah Hill, The Sitter) and slacker jock Jenko (Channing Tatum, The Vow) graduate high school without going to prom. Schmidt didn't have a date and Jenko was barred from attending. A few years later, they find themselves face to face again as they both sign up for the Metropolitan City Police Department academy. Schmidt excels at the paperwork, while Jenko uses his muscles and athletics to overcome the obstacle course and shooter ranges. Knowing they can't graduate without the expertise of the other, they team up to get to graduation. Their dreams of car chases, gun fights, and explosions are short-lived as they are assigned to bicycle patrol. When their first bust goes without Miranda and the perp is set free, Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation) demotes the pair to a revived cancelled undercover program due to their youthful appearance headquartered at 21 Jump Street. After a drug-related death of a high school student, Captain Dickson (Ice Cube, Lottery Ticket) assigns Schmidt and Jenko to go undercover as brothers in the same high school to root out the drug's dealers and supplier. Because of a screw-up, Schmidt is put into the breeze classes like Drama and Photography, while Jenko is put into AP Chemistry. Along the way, Schmidt finds himself out of his element as he cozies up to the popular Eco-cool crowd with Eric (Dave Franco, Fright Night) and Molly (Brie Larson, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). Jenko has the same issues while running with the geek squad including members like Zack (Dax Flame, Project X).

If you are looking for the 1987 Fox television series 21 Jump Street that you grew up on, or watched in syndication, you will be both pleased and disappointed. Sure, cops with young-ish looks are thrust into undercover work at the high school level. The tone of the film is completely different from the TV series, leaning to the vulgar and the hilarious over actual dramatic substance. In fact, while keeping with some of the same concepts as from the show, the writers (including Jonah Hill) actually poke fun at those same concepts as well. A cool classic car is included, but Deputy Chief Hardy makes a funny and obvious reference to old retreaded ideas, and chemistry teacher Ms. Griggs (Ellie Kemper, Bridesmaids) and Mr. Walters (Rob Riggle, Big Miracle) have obvious reactions to Jenko's chiseled muscle presence.

Jonah Hill brings his signature style to the role of Schmidt, channeling a bit of Superbad and The Sitter. He's fun to watch, with good comic timing and hilarious wide-eyed expressions. Channing Tatum flexes his comedy muscles as Jonah's athletic straight man, surprising me with his likability beyond his romantic and dramatic efforts. Dave Franco, younger brother to James Franco, carves his own path as the shark-smiled snark drug dealer who, unlike many of his brother's stoner roles, does not use his own product. Riggle tries to be the mature one as one of the teachers, voluming down his manic nature a notch or two. Also notable is Ice Cube's Captain Dickson who embraces the angry African American police captain stereotype.

21 Jump Street is a hilarious farce that pays homage to the Stephen J. Cannell source material. Typical genre stereotypes are embraced or put on end. Throughout the film, laughter follows hilarious disgust and funny prat falls. Filled with phallic references, dry humping, coarse language and some nudity, fans of The Hangover and the American Pie series will be doubling over in laughter at this re-envisioned take of the original. As evident from the trailer, even Holly Robinson Peete makes an appearance with a reprised role of Officer Judy Hoffs.  

21 Jump Street is a great enjoyable surprise. I knew from the trailers that it was angling for action comedy over young action drama, but I left the theater with a smile on my face and good things to say. The R rating is warranted and proves that the film is not for the youngest of crowds, but even those kids who managed to get into the audience enjoyed Hill on the high school stage in tights and wires. 21 Jump Street is not what we remember from 1987, and is better for it. I wonder when the Richard Grieco Booker movie is scheduled to come out to the silver screen?

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD

The Vow

Points of Impact

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Rated: PG-13  Sexual content, partial nudity, some language and an accident scene.
Release Date: February 10, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

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Director: Michael Sucsy

Writers: Jason Katims, Abby Kohn, Stuart Sender, Marc Silverstein, Michael Sucsy
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Jessica Lange, Sam Neill, Jessica McNamee, Scott Speedman

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SYNOPSIS: A car accident on a snowy night puts Paige in a coma. When she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works desperately to win her heart again.

REVIEW: Michael Sucsy, the writer and director of the Emmy and Golden Globe winning TV movie Grey Gardens, takes a script from the collaboration of Jason Katims (Parenthood, Friday Night Lights), Abby Kohn (Valentine's Day), Stuart Sender (Power of Peace) and Marc Silverstein (Valentine's Day) to create a story based on true events. 

Paige (Rachel McAdams, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) and Leo (Channing Tatum, Haywire) share a 'once in a lifetime' love with each other. On one random evening, on the way home during a snowy evening after taking in a film, their car is rear-ended and both Paige and Leo are rushed to the hospital emergency room. Paige is kept in a medical coma in order to deal with the head trauma she suffered from the accident. When she wakes up the doctors and her husband Leo realize that she is missing her memories from the last five years of her life, including her entire relationship with Leo. While Dr. Fishman (Wendy Crewson, The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising) urges Paige to return to her daily routine with Leo, Paige's father Bill (Sam Neill, Daybreakers) and mother Rita (Jessica Lange, American Horror Story) want to return their daughter home with them to recover. Paige considers Leo a stranger and their apartment a foreign place but tries to make a go of what the doctor recommended. After he takes Paige home, Leo tries to rekindle a love with her that he still feels and that she cannot remember.

Based on real people and true events The Vow offers a tender but somewhat heart wrenching view of a man completely in love with a woman, his wife, whose last vivid memories include a fiancee named Jeremy (Scott Speedman, The Strangers) that she remembers still being in love with, and a family she has no memories as why she hasn't spoken to them in several years. Without the points of impact of memories that have shaped her life in the past five years, Paige reverts to a remembered life where she in interested in a law degree instead of a career in art. She finds everything in her life with Leo inconceivable and foreign. Even the choice of the shape of her hair confuses her. Why did she abandon her family? Why did she dump her former fiancee? What decisions and life choices brought her to Leo and sparked their love for each other? And how can Leo rekindle that love without the combined memories that have made her the person he fell in love with to begin with?

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams have both starred, separately, in Nicolas Sparks books turned films. In fact, The Vow was billed as such, referencing Sparks' The Notebook and Dear John in the film's trailers. While not a Nicolas Sparks movie, The Vow would appeal to audiences that appreciated those earlier efforts. For most of the ladies, there will be a couple tears. For any guy brought along as a date or support system, the movie will hold interest but will not cause any embarrassing water work moments. Let's face it, The Vow will not hold the emotional pull for guys that a war-torn The Dirty Dozen has (just ask Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle!).

Channing Tatum uses the same acting chops a little bit in The Vow that he exhibited in Dear John. Both happy and content with the love of his life, and desperate to recreate the same life with a memory-devoid wife, Tatum's Leo gives it his all to reignite Paige's love for him to match the love he feels for his lost wife. Rachel McAdams, no stranger to romantic dramedies, plays Paige with the same confidence and competence that she has brought to other roles. Sam Neill plays Paige's father with a grim determination and patriarchal defensiveness. Jessica Lange as Paige's mother plays the dutiful wife eager to reunite her family by any means necessary. And Paige's former fiancee, Jeremy, played by Scott Speedman, adds enough smugness and cockiness to play both the victim from Paige's dumping and the villain who wants to take advantage of Paige's memory loss as a way to reconnect with her.

Not overly comedic as a romantic comedy/drama, The Vow does deliver some funny lines through Leo and Paige's dialogue and from awkward input from the stable of Leo and Paige's current friends, including former roommates Kyle (Lucas Bryant, Haven) and Josh (Joey Klein, American Gangster). Moreover, Channing uses a little stammering and stuttering to endear himself to the 'new' Paige, as well. And to the ladies delight, the story strategically places partial nude screens with Tatum to maximize his six-pack abs and rear-end.

The Vow works as a chick flick in a season barren of any romantic comedies. Based on true events and the people who have endured those events, this film follows in the style we have come to expect from films sourced from Nicolas Sparks books, but also may disappoint because it is not a Nicolas Sparks adaptation at all. Life is a culmination of series of events that make us who we are at any given moment. Take those events away by way of stolen memories brought on by head trauma, and you may find yourself unable to recognize yourself in the mirror. 

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WORTH: Matinee or Rental

Haywire

Female Domination

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Rated: R  Action violence and language
Release Date: January 20, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 23 min

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Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: Lem Dobbs
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Gina Carano, Michael Angarano, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender

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SYNOPSIS: In-demand government military contractor Mallory finds herself betrayed by and on the run from her own people during a supposedly routine covert operation.

REVIEW: Steven Soderbergh, director of such films as the Oceans 11 trilogy, Contagion, and The Informant!, returns with a story of a former marine, turned government contractor asset who finds herself on the run from the very agencies that employed her services. Based on a story written by The Score scribe Lem Dobbs, Soderbergh continues in his multi-faceted, multi-hued filmmaking tradition.

Former Marine turned black ops covert contracter asset Mallory (Gina Carano, Blood and Bone) carries out wetwork or rescue support for her contractor boss Kenneth (Ewan McGregor, The Men Who Stare At Goats). After a routine rescue operation as a four man team, including first-time contractor asset Aaron (Channing Tatum, The Eagle), in the recovery of a Korean journalist Jiang (Anthony Brandon Wong, Crooked Business) for CIA agents Coblenz (Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) and Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots), Mallory finds herself betrayed on a new mission when partnered with MI6 British Intelligence agent Paul (Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class). Mallory, now on the run from the authorities and government agencies, fights her way to finding the source of her 'burn notice'.

In the typical Soderbergh style, the story is laid out in a linear fashion starting in the middle with loop after loop of flashbacks filling in the story as the audience needs to be informed. Starting at a roadside diner on a snowy day, Mallory walked from the woods across the street into the warmth of the restaurant for a cup of hot tea and a break from running. Sitting in a corner booth with the fashion style of Aeon Flux, she decompresses until fellow contract asset Aaron arrives to bring her back in. The first of many superbly choreographed brutal, raw, efficient, and elegant fight scenes ensues. The waitress and another diner patron, Scott (Michael Angarano, Red State) try to assist but Mallory handles Aaron all by herself. Fleeing the diner with Scott in Scott's car, Mallory fills him in on what she knows in the hopes that he can get that information to her father (Bill Paxton, Frailty) in case something happens to her.

As Mallory tells Scott of her exploits around the world in places like Barcalona and Dublin, Soderbergh keeps the audience straight with differing hair styles for Mallory and different hues and tonal qualities for each location. Barcalona is filled with warmth and sepia tones. Dublin is colder and threaded in cool shades of blue and gray. Sometimes the audience may feel like Scott, trying desperately to keep the facts and names straight and recite them back to Mallory in an intelligence fashion, but the cast of main characters is small, focused, and explained in the end.

Feeling like a cold war era film, Soderbergh uses music that dates the movie back to a more romanticized era of the spy game while keeping the story itself grounded in the present. I am not sure that the choice of music suits the film to the best degree while we watch the operatives breach a town house with the best modern weaponry that government money can buy, but the sound is consistent throughout.

Gina Carano is no stranger to athleticism, fighting or action. As the 'American Gladiator' Crush, she can dish out as much punishment as she can take. The fight and chase scenes play to her strengths as a physical strong woman. As Mallory, when she is relegated to being Paul's arm candy undercover wife, we see Mallory's discomfort to being idle and tension to be let loose. The only downsize of the fight scenes was the speed-up of the film to make the action look quicker and more brutal. At times, the change in physical speed distracted more than added to the scene.

Some have said that the film is simply an endless chase scene. They would be correct since Mallory is on the run from beginning to end. But Soderbergh adds in enough plot, story flashbacks and intrigue to flesh out the story from being just a mindless action flick. Mallory is a strong and capable character, fighting her way through the self-promotion and self-preservation of the people in charge. The problem may be that maybe the villains in the film aren't as capable as she is.

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WORTH: Matinee or Rental

The Eagle

Never Say Never

[Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland]

image from screenrant.com

RANT: The theatre lobby was filled with the elderly and the young, one going to see the Metropolitan Opera in HD, the other to see the new Justin Bieber movie, Never Say Never. When I spoke to the concession attendant if she had Bieber Fever, she exclaimed that the young girls were coming out of the presentation in tears! Never Say Never is the the YouTube generation's answer to A Hard Day's Night.

SYNOPSIS: In 140 AD, a young centurion assumes command of an outpost in Roman-occupied Britain, desperate to regain his family's honor after the disappearance of the Ninth Legion and its eagle standard, led by his father, in Northern Britain 20 years earlier.

The Eagle is based on the Rosemary Sutcliff novel, The Eagle of the Ninth. Directed by Kevin MacDonald from a screenplay by Jeremy Brock, The Eagle s a depiction of one roman soldier's struggle to face uncertain dishonor due to his father's legacy of disappearing with the Ninth Legion and its eagle standard 20 years previous.

The movie plays like a cross between Deniro's The Mission and Kostner's Dances With Wolves, with Crowe's Gladiator sprinkled for flavoring. In the beginning, we join Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) as he boats upriver to the Roman outpost in the Southern Britain outlands. Upon taking command of the garrison and its soldiers, Aquila quickly sheds the legacy of his father by returning the outpost to shape, heading off a midnight attack by the local tribes and demonstrating conspicuous valor while rescuing his patrol from the hands of the local tribe. The first act sequences are quicker paced, providing story, character set-up, conflict and action.

The second act slows down considerably with the introduction of Esca (Jamie Bell), the slave saved by Aquila from the arena and tasked to be a servant to Aquila during his recovery from the outpost battles. As Aquila and Esca ride into the unknown north beyond the Hadrian Wall chasing rumors that the Ninth Legion's eagle standard has been rediscovered, little is gained on film, except the grandeur of the Scottish Highlands on celluloid. Some discoveries are made to point the duo ever closer to Aquila's goal, leading to a slowly building close filled with betrayals and possible redemption.

One of the obvious issues of the film from the beginning for me was that there was no bother to provide even the slightest accent to any of the Roman characters. Almost all had fine American pitch and tone. Only when we encounter the Scottish tribes are we treated to anything that requires a close watch or subtitles. At least we get to enjoy Jamie Bell's brogue once Esca is introduced. And the ending rides into the credits like a strange homage to a buddy cop flick.

I am a fan of historic period actioners. Learning about the Hadrian Wall was cool. And every time I see Channing Tatum, I am reminded of Josh Hartnett - is it just me? Regardless of any of the positive takeaways from The Eagle, it is probably best to let it land on DVD.

Worth: Netflix

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The Dilemma

The Truth is Painful

[Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah]

image from ripitup.co.nz

RANT: I talked to Annette behind the glass at the Regal Theater box office today. She is usually doodling and drawing when I see her between giving out tickets. You can check out her skills at www.pockets1217.deviantart.com.

SYNOPSIS: Ronny and Nick are best friends and business partners. When Ronny discovers that Nick's wife is having an affair, he is put in a difficult position as to how and when to tell Nick.

The opening sequence sets the stage for the entire film. One of the ladies at the table asks Ronny (Vince Vaughn) if you truly can know someone completely, whether it is your best friend or your wife? Ronny responds with stories of men with families in separate cities, and a husband who take up archery and "accidentally" shoots his wife in the neck with an arrow, twice! Of course, he is right. We can never know another person wholly, no matter how confident we are. And this dry comedy sets out in the pursuit and upholding of the truth.

Director Ron Howard brings us a comedy from Allan Loeb. Ronny Valentine (Vaughn) and Nick Brannen (Kevin James) are business partners trying to capture a large automaker bid on their electric engine technology that would rumble in muscle cars. While Nick struggles with finishing the technology, Ronny discovers that Nick's wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) is having an affair with a young tattooed stud named Zip (Channing Tatum). Forced with keeping the truth from Nick in order to finish the project on time, Ronny takes it upon himself to confront Geneva to fix the problem. But everything that Ronny tries to fix the problem, the worse things get.

Although Vince and Kevin are funny, their manic styles tend to cancel each other out in The Dilemma. On the plus side, Queen Latifah as auto liaison Susan Warner gives a few giggles with her enthusiasm for the duo and their engine concept. And it's always great to see Clint Howard working. But on the more dramatic side, Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder keep the outing somber, further slanting the film to the serious.

The film is slated as "a comedy that pulls no punches". The Dilemma may have not pulled any punches, but because of it most of the comedy may have thrown in the towel. Even for most avid Vaughn or James fans, the truth is that you will be happier watching The Dilemma in the comfort of your living room.

Worth: Netflix

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