Life as We Know It

*I was planning to review The Kids Are All Right as part of my Oscar Watch...  I was excited about it.  Pretty much every review is positive and Annette Benning is nominated for Best Actress for her role.  So I convinced my roommate to watch it with me... Wow.  We watched the first 15 to 20 minutes before I turned it off.  By that time we had witnessed 3 sex scenes and 2 scenes of nudity.  I can deal with minimal nudity / sex scenes... I'm not thrilled when they are included in films, but I can deal... but this was ridiculous.  I didn't have a desire to see anymore, and my roommate was already looking at me like I was crazy for picking it... so instead we watched Life as We Know It On Demand, and were much happier with that choice.

"Just because you accept help from someone, doesn't mean you have failed. It just means you're not in it alone."

Holly Berenson (Heigl) and Eric Messer (Duhamel) hate each other.  When their best friends, Peter (MacArthur) and Alison (Hendricks) Novak, set them up on a blind date it is a disaster.  Holly owns a popular bakery and is a workaholic.  Messer works for the Atlanta Hawks as a technical director, and is a perpetual playboy.  Years later, Holly and Messer are the godparents of Peter and Alison's daughter Sophie (the Clagett sisters).

Shortly after Sophie's first birthday, Peter and Alison are killed in a car accident... and Holly and Messer are named as Sophie's legal guardians.  Holly and Messer move into the Novak's home and try to cope with the loss of their friends and their new challenge.  They are embraced by the couples in the neighborhood, who enjoy Holly's cooking and are in awe of Messer... and Holly gets closer to their pediatrician Sam (Lucas).  Can they survive parenthood?


From the beginning you know what is going to happen... but there is nothing wrong with that.  It is a sweet story filled with beautiful people.  The little girls who play Sophie are adorable.  Katharine Heigl and Josh Duhamel have great chemistry and are fun to watch on screen.  I wish the fantastic Christina Hendricks (from TV's "Mad Men") was in more of the film... I have loved her since her memorable part in Joss Whedon's TV show "Firefly."  The supporting cast, as the neighbors, are also fun... such as "Mad TV" alum Will Sasso and "Gilmore Girls" Melissa McCarthy.

Yes, you know what will happen... but it's fun getting there, and you get to stare at Josh Duhamel and Josh Lucas along the way.  Is there a downside?

Life as We Know It (2010) 114 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sexual material, language and some drug content.
Director: Greg Berlanti
Starring: Katherine Heigl as Holly Berenson
Josh Duhamel as Eric Messer
Josh Lucas as Sam
Hayes MacArthur as Peter Novak
Christina Hendricks as Alison Novak
Alexis, Brynn & Brooke Clagett as Sophie

Oscar Picks 2011

This is my 5th consecutive year blogging and guessing the Oscars.  This year I saw 8 of the 17 films nominated for Best Picture (3 of 10) or any of the acting awards.  This will limit my wild guessing (which is also tons of fun).

Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon, The Town, Inception 

The Social Network, Animal Kingdom, Winter's Bone

The past two years, I have done well: 7 out of 7!  We'll see how well this goes...

Best Supporting Actor
*Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winters Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The Kings Speech

...who will win... Christian Bale
...who should win... Christian Bale

Christian Bale is an incredible actor... I haven't seen The Fighter yet, but I want to just because he is in it.  He gives everything to every performance.  Jeremy Renner was great in The Town (and in last year's nominated performance for The Hurt Locker), but he probably won't win.  Mark Ruffalo and John Hawkes should appreciate being nominated, but shouldn't expect to walk home with a statue.  The only person who could legitimately take the crown from Bale is Geoffrey Rush.... but I don't think it will happen.


Best Support Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The Kings Speech
*Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

...who will win... Amy Adams
...who should win... Amy Adams

There was significant Oscar buzz for Melissa Leo, but her campaigning hurt that.  Jacki Weaver was great in Animal Kingdom, but it isn't a big enough film to win it.  I don't like Helena Bonham Carter and Hailee Steinfeld is sooo young... and that leaves the always enjoyable Amy Adams.


Best Actor
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
*Colin Firth, The Kings Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

...who will win... Colin Firth
...who should win... Colin Firth

JUST GIVE COLIN FIRTH THE AWARD AND STOP PUTTING IT OFF.  I have loved Firth since his Pride and Prejudice days and would love to see him get some award loving.  Javier Bardem and Jeff Bridges have Oscars already... James Franco just seems cocky, and he gets to host the awards... Jesse Eisenberg is good in The Social Network, but not good enough to change my mind.  Not really seeing this going any other way.

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winters Bone
*Natalie Portman, The Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

...who will win... Michelle Williams
...who should win... Natalie Portman

All the buzz has been about Natalie Portman and Annette Bening.  At this point, Natalie is unstoppable.  Annette is a good actress, but I hated her film.  And where's the love for Julianne Moore?  Jennifer Lawrence was great, but it isn't a showy role.  I haven't heard much about Nicole Kidman's role...  Michelle Williams is great, it isn't a happy film, but I would like to see her win.  But the Oscar WILL go to Natalie Portman.


Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, The Black Swan
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
*Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

...who will win... David Fincher
...who should win... CHRISTOPHER NOLAN!!

The biggest films of the year are The King's Speech and The Social Network.  The Social Network will probably win... it is very relevant now and stands a better chance to win.  The script is great (very Aaron Sorkin), but it feels like a Fincher film.  I'm not even going to talk about the others because they don't stand a chance.  The only possible upset is Tom Hooper for The King's Speech.  I'm still mad Christopher Nolan wasn't nominated, because he would have my vote!


Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
*Toy Story 3

...who will win... Toy Story 3
...who should win... eh, Toy Story 3

I always vote Pixar.  They make consistently excellent films.  How To Train Your Dragon was adorable and lots of fun... but for nostalgia alone Toy Story 3 will win.  Don't know much about the Illusionist, so it could stand a chance, but I stand by the geniuses at Pixar.

Best Picture 
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
*The Kings Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

...who will win... The King's Speech
...who should win... The King's Speech or The Social Network

Inception was awesome.  Toy Story 3 was beautiful and heartfeld (a tear-jerker).  Winter's Bone was sparse and moving.  The Kids Are All Right was weird and I refused to finish watching it.  I have absolutely no desire to see 127 Hours, and even though I didn't love the original John Wayne True Grit, I am voting against it on prinicple alone.  It will all come down to what people want: is it a moving period piece (The King's Speech) OR the timely story (The Social Network).  I think the edge goes to The King's Speech.  I can live with either winning.


EDIT: This year I got 5 of 7 categories correct... not bad, but still o.k.
James Franco and Anne Hathaway did a decent job hosting this year.  Let me clarify, Anne Hathaway was good... James Franco was o.k.  The choir at the end was adorable.  Congrats to all the winners!!

Animal Kingdom

After losing his mother to a heroin overdose, 17 year old Joshua "Jay" Cody (Frecheville) is sent to live with his estranged relatives.  The family is led and pulled together by Jay's grandmother Janine "Smurf" (Weaver), who adores and smothers her boys.  Her three sons are criminals, all well-known by the police.  The oldest, Andrew "Pope" (Mendelsohn), does armed robberies with his best friend Barry "Baz" Brown (Edgerton).  Pope is hiding from the police and planning his next heist.  The second, Craig (Stapleton), is a paranoid drug dealer with a contact in the police.  And the youngest, Darren (Ford), who is just a few years older than Jay, is a pothead who goes along with whatever his brothers do.  They have a lawyer on call, Ezra White (Dan Wyllie), and try to stay one step ahead of the police.

When the police start targeting the family, the brothers pull Jay into their lives of crime, violence, and lies.  His girlfriend Nicky (Laura Wheelwright), and her family, keep him sane and safe... and a homicide detective, Senior Offier Nathan Leckie (Pearce), tries to save him.  As war erupts between the police and the Cody's, Jay has to choose a side, even though he doesn't trust either.


Gripping, gritty, and unflinching, this is the way to make a crime drama!  The story grabs you from the beginning, as you watch Jay's world fall apart when his mother dies.  Through his narration you learn about the family, and see how his youth is swiftly pulled away.  As the film progresses you can feel the tension building... waiting for it to explode on screen.  A strong story and direction from first time director, David Michod.

The cast is first rate, although I did not know of them until this film.  While the men dominate the screen, it is Jacki Weaver's Smurf that you watch in any scene.  She dominates, in an Oscar nominated performance for Best Supporting Actress, as the matriarch of the clan... with an almost incestuous love for her sons and grandson, and a shrewd personality.  She knows what needs to happen and is willing to do almost anything to get what she wants / needs.  Ben Mendelsohn is menacing as Pope... going from unbridled rage to just wanting to talk it out.  He makes you uneasy from the start.  Craig Cody is shirtless for most the film and constantly on the move.  Luke Ford and James Frecheville are good in their respective roles: going in opposite directions.  They are quiet characters, but you trust them more than the others.  Joel Edgerton's Baz seems like a decent guy who made some bad decisions, and Guy Pearce is earnest but a little sketchy.

If this film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, it would probably take my vote...  An excellent film, my first Australian film.  I definitely recommend it!!

Animal Kingdom (2010) minutes
Rating: R for violence, drug content and pervasive language
Director: David Michod
Starring: Ben Mendelsohn as Andrew "Pope" Cody
Joel Edgerton as Barry "Baz" Brown
Guy Pearce as Senior Officer Nathan Leckie
Luke Ford as Darren Cody
Jacki Weaver as Janine "Smurf" Cody
Sullivan Stapleton as Craig Cody
James Frecheville as Joshua "Jay" Cody

The Social Network

"People want to go online and check out their friends, so why not build a website that offers that? Friends, pictures, profiles, whatever you can visit, browse around, maybe it's someone you just met at a party. Eduardo, I'm not talking about a dating site, I'm talking about taking the entire social experience of college and putting it online."

Harvard computer student, Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg), wants to do something to get noticed.  It consumes him.  When he gets dumped by girlfriend, Erica (Mara), he spends the evening creating a website that rates the women on campus... while he's drunk.  He escapes with probation, and gets noticed by some upper-classmen with a plan.  Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Minghella) want to create a social network site, Harvard Connection, and hire Mark to create the site.

Meanwhile, Mark gets the idea to create a social network site that offers the college experience (see quote above).  His best friend, Eduardo (Garfield), provides a thousand dollars to start the site and serve as the CFO / financial end of the company.  And his roommate Dustin (Mazzello) joins as a programmer for the site.  As the website, called The Facebook, becomes popular, they acquire "groupies" and work towards expanding to other campuses.  And Mark faces a lawsuit from the Winklevoss twins.


I did not want to see this film.  Facebook was created in 2003... it's too soon to make it a movie.  I have a Facebook account and have since it was established at my college (either 2003 or early 2004)... it was called "The Facebook" and had a picture of Mark Zuckerberg in the upper left corner of the screen.  It has changed a lot since then.  But on principle alone, I wasn't interested in seeing it.

A friend brought it over, and then it was nominated for a few Oscars, so I finally gave in... and I'm glad I did.  I don't know how accurate it is, and I genuinely don't care, but it was good.  It was written by Aaron Sorkin, who created / wrote Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.  The script and dialogue definitely have a Sorkin flavor... you can hear it in the dialogue.  I'm not as familiar with director David Fincher.  I've seen 2 of his older films and am anticipating his version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the rest of the films in the Millenium Trilogy.  Somehow, Fincher took the Sorkin script and made it his own.  It is a well-made film that expects you to keep up with its breakneck pace.

The cast is alright.  Jesse Eisenberg's version of Mark Zuckerberg is a jerk... he starts as a jerk that you feel sorry for, and in the end he is an arrogant jerk that you just want to hit.  The rest of the male characters are o.k.  They all have aloof qualities... some act like entitled jerks and other invoke some pity, but they aren't attainable characters.  The women are not memorable.  Rooney Mara is in most of the pictures associated with the film, but is barely on screen.  Brenda Song brings the crazy, and all other female characters don't have names or personalities.

A well-made, memorable film.  It might be a good contender for the Oscars, but not my favorite film of the year.

The Social Network (2010) 120 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg
Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin
Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker
Armie Hammer as Cameron Winklevoss / Tyler Winklevoss
Brenda Song as Christy Lee
Max Minghella as Divya Narendra
Joseph Mazzello as Dustin Moskovitz
Rooney Mara as Erica Albright

To Save a Life (2009)

"What’s the point of all this if you’re not going to let it change you?"

Jake Taylor (Wayne) has it all: a scholarship to the college of his dreams, dating the most popular girl in school, and a solid reputation.  But his entire world comes crashing down after witnessing the death of his childhood best friend, Roger (Bailey).  Suddenly Jake's lifestyle isn't enough... 

As he struggles to deal with guilt over Roger's deal and trying to find meaning in life.  He turns to local youth pastor, Chris (Weigel), for guidance.  Nothing feels right.  His parents (David Starzyk and Laura Black) relationship is falling apart.  His friends, who used to mock Roger are unsupportive ... and his girlfriend Amy (Kreutzberg) doesn't understand.  Can he find answers in God?


I watched this movie on a youth retreat... normally Christian made films have their hearts / messages in the right places, but they just can't deliver a quality film.  The acting and plot normally suffer... and while they tend to start strong, they just end up sounding preachy.  So I admit, I did not have high expectations for this one.

This film works... the acting was good.  The story was good, believable for the age.  I think that was partially due to the writing.  The screenwriter on the film is a youth pastor... and probably drew from his youth experiences.  You can find out more about the film at the movie website (http://tosavealifemovie.com/).

To Save a Life (2009) 120 minutes
Director: Brian Baugh
Starring: Randy Wayne as Jake Taylor
Deja Kreutzberg as Amy Briggs
Joshua Weigel as Chris Vaughn
Sean Michael Afable as Jonny Garcia
Bubba Lewis as Danny Rivers
Robert Bailey Jr. as Roger Dawson
Kim Hidalgo as Andrea Stevens

Reefer Madness

"We are just like Romeo and Juliet. We're happy, young and... [cough] ...hemorrhaging blood!"

The Lecturer (Cumming) gathers the parents of teenagers for an important presentation.  He tells them the story of the Harper Incident...

Jimmy Harper (C. Campbell) is wholesome and innocent, and head over heels in love with naive Mary Lane (Bell).  Mary is the prettiest girl at school and a great dancer, but Jimmy has two left feet.  While panicking about their pending dancing date, Jimmy meets Jack Stone (Weber) who has the answer.  Smooth talking Jack takes Jimmy to meet his friends: his girlfriend Mae (Gasteyer), college dropout Ralph (Kassir), and neurotic Sally (Spangler).  They introduce Jimmy to the world of marijuana, and soon he looses interest in everything else.


Based on the 1936 exploitation film of the same name, Reefer Madness was turned into an off-Broadway musical in 2001 (it premiered in 1998 in Los Angeles).  Most of the cast from the original show reprises their roles here, and the show is mostly the same.  The main changes involve the role of Jack... the actor playing Jack (originally Robert Torti, who plays Jesus in the film) plays multiple roles, which are portrayed by other actors in the film.

It is an irreverent musical, often compared to the style of Moulin Rouge!.  With fun choreography and bright costumes, it is a fun musical.  Not one to watch with the kids... it was on Showtime after all.  Lots of swearing and inappropriate songs / moments.  I love Kristen Bell, and she is a riot here... which is the main reason I watched this film, and I admit I did enjoy it.  Alan Cummings is also worth mentioning... he plays the Lecturer (and other assorted characters) with a sly wink holding the parents in the palm of his hand.

Definitely not for everyone.

Reefer Madness (2005) 109 minutes
Rating: R for drug material, sexual content and some violence
Director: Andy Fickman
Starring: Kristen Bell as Mary Lane
Christian Campbell as Jimmy Harper
Neve Campbell as Miss Poppy
Alan Cumming as Lecturer
Ana Gasteyer as Mae Coleman
John Kassir as Ralph Wiley
Amy Spangler as Sally DeBanis
Robert Torti as Jesus
Steven Weber as Jack Stone

Despicable Me

"Will you read us a bedtime story?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"The physical appearance of the please makes no difference."

When the Egyptian pyramids are stolen, Gru (Carell) and his minions starting working on their biggest heist ever: stealing the moon, after shrinking it.  To pull it off, Gru needs a loan from the "Bank of Evil."   The bank president, Mr. Perkin (Arnett), thinks Gru is too old and refuses to fund the operation until they steal the shrink ray.  When the shrink ray is stolen by new villain, Vector (Segel), Gru comes up with a new plan: distract Vector with three harmless orphan girls.

For the plan to work, he adopts three young girls: Margo (Cosgrove) the smart one, Edith (Gaier) who likes danger, and Agnes (Fisher) who loves unicorns.  His elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario (Brand), and Minions start working on the plan, while the girls bond with Minions and Gru.


A fun family film that packs in the laughs.  The minions and their gibberish conversations are funny.  You won't understand their words, but there actions and crazy laughter make up for that.  The minions are adorable and probably the funniest part of the film.  Watch the credits to see a few Minions compete... comedy gold my friends (how is this not nominated for an Academy Award this year?)!  The girls were great as well, especially the youngest: Agnes "He's sooooo fluffy, I could die!" and her unicorn obsession is endearing and laugh-out-loud funny.

The cast is great... completely throwing themselves into the roles, without overpowering the characters.  I actually didn't recognize any of the voices (I knew Steve Carell was Gru, but otherwise I was completely clueless), and that almost made it better...  You weren't distracted by going "oh it's (insert actors name here)" and then missing little funny moments.  The cast list is impressive, and I'm impressed with each performance.

A cute, clean family film... and Julie Andrew's is in it (as Gru's mom).  Is there a downside to this film?

Despicable Me (2010) 95 minutes
Director: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
Starring: Steve Carell as Gru
Jason Segel as Vector
Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario
Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins
Kristen Wiig as Miss Hattie
Miranda Cosgrove as Margo
Dana Gaier as Edith
Elsie Fisher as Agnes

My Top Cancelled TV Shows ~Honorable Mentions

I have always loved movies... I love to spend an evening relaxing on the couch, wrapped in a fleece blanket and watching a good movie.  But as much as I love them, I can't always enjoy movies.  After film classes in college I notice little details here and there that take away from movies I could enjoy.  Camera angles, costuming, color schemes, and other things that take me out of the story.

In my first film class, the professor said we would never see films the same way again.  Now if I want mindless entertainment, I watch TV.  I don't like to talk about shows that are on the air, especially since most TV shows are inconsistent between seasons.  For that reason, I am counting down my favorite TV shows that are no longer producing new seasons.  These are the shows I turn to when I have free time... they are the characters I love and the shows I quote endlessly.

_____________________________________________________________________

Honorable Mentions
As you can imagine, it was hard to narrow down the field... I got the list down to 11, but then thought of a few more.  These are shows I love, but not necessarily my first choices... but for sentimental reasons they appear here.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

"Look, I hate Los Angeles just like everybody else, but I have to work here because in any other part of the country I'm unemployable."

When the Executive Producer of popular sketch comedy Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has an on-air meltdown, the future of the show and the network, the National Broadcasting Systems (NBS), is in jeopardy.  The new President of Entertainment Programming, Jordan McDeere (Peet) takes a chance and hires the best producer and writer in the business: Danny Tripp (Whitford) and Matt Albie (Perry).  Danny and Matt worked for the show years ago, but left over creative differences.

Ratings are down, despite the star power of the Big Three: Simon Stiles (Hughley), Tom Jeter (Corddry), and Matt's ex Harriet Hayes (Paulson).  With their old nemesis, Programming Chairman Jack Rudolph (Weber), still in running things at the network it won't be easy.  Can they make the show funny and commercial?


This show had so much potential.... a smart, fast paced show that managed to reflect and subvert popular culture and sketch comedy shows.  Critically praised, with a strong and intriguing pilot, boasting a great cast, and created by Aaron Sorkin (creator of The West Wing), it seemed like a sure thing.  But audiences didn't love it, or didn't understand it... and somehow this show was canceled.

All of my film major friends loved this show and raved about it, so this past summer I watched it on Netflix.  I planned to watch an episode here and there, maybe one a day if it was really good... From the opening sequence of the pilot I was hooked and watched the entire series in a matter of days (I didn't do much else during that time, but it was worth it in the end).  The cast has great chemistry, especially Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford, and command the screen.  The plots are interesting, and the writers are able to juggle the task of writing for the show and still making a funny show-within-a-show.

I hate that it's over, but I'm glad it ended where it did.  The final episode tied up the loose ends and gave each character a happy ending... had the show lived on, I'm certain there would be new conflicts... but the writers gave us closure, and that's all I ask.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007)
Creator: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Matthew Perry as Matt Albie
Bradley Whitford as Danny Tripp
Amanda Peet as Jordan McDeere
Steven Weber as Jack Rudolph
D.L. Hughley as Simon Stiles
Sarah Paulson as Harriet Hayes
Nathan Corddry as Tom Jeter
Timothy Busfield as Cal Shanley

_____________________________________________________________________

Saved by the Bell

 "I like school.  It's just too bad classes get in the way."

Bayside High School will never be the same, especially if schemer Zach Morris (Gosselaar) has anything to say about it.  With a little help from his friends: his lifelong best friend, eccentric nerd Screech Powers (Diamond)... brainy feminist Jessie Spano (Berkley)... spoiled fashionista Lisa Turtle (Voorhies)... the girl of his dreams, popular cheerleader Kelly Kapowski (Thiessen)... and the newest member of their group, jock A.C. Slater (Lopez); he pulls off elaborate schemes and torment / outsmart the principal, Mr. Belding (Haskins).


This show appears for nostalgic reasons.  As a child of the 90's, I grew up watching this show... tuning in for the chance to see what crazy scheme Zach and the gang would get into next.  And ever after seeing every episode many times, I would still watch the reruns on Saturday mornings.  And now the theme song is stuck in my head...

This show made it's cast stars... although most have yet to find a decent followup.  Mario Lopez is the most recognizable cast member, and has gone on to appear in films and Broadway ("A Chorus Line").  Mark Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen are back on TV.  Gosselaar was on TNT's Raising the Bar and has a new show in the works.  Thiessen is a regular on USA's White Collar.  The rest have been in a few things here and there, but have yet to break away from their Saved by the Bell alter egos.

This was the coolest show, and I still have fond memories of watching it.  Yes, it is cheesy and outdated.  Yes, the acting and writing is not great, but I still love it.

Saved by the Bell (1989-1993)
Creator: Sam Bobrick
Starring: Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zach Morris
Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater
Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers
Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski
Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano
Dennis Haskins as Mr. Belding

Red (2010)

"Do you know what's wrong with this country?"
"They all are trying to kill us?"
"Exactly!"

Frank Moses (Willis) is retired and bored.  The only highlight is phone calls with Sarah Ross (Parker), his pension representative.  They read the same novels and send each other gifts.  After outsmarting a hit squad, Frank rescues / kidnaps Sarah and goes on the road to get answers.

The enlist the help of some old friends (and enemies)...
-Frank's mentor, Joe Matheson (Freeman), provides information from his nursing home
-Paranoid Marvin Boogs (Malkovich) who camouflages everything and would rather shoot first
-Victoria (Mirren) patches them up and lends her target expertise
-And former Russian Agent, Ivan Simanov (Cox) gives them floor pans and an escape route

With a young new agent, William Cooper (Urban) on their trail and obstacles around every corner, the RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) agents have something to prove... just don't call them old.


A great cast, funny previews... it definitely could go either way.  Thankfully, this was one of those films that is as good as the previews.  The script was funny, with lots of action.  The action sequences are good, lots of violence without much blood... and minimal language.  I didn't think they made good action movies without lots of swearing and blood.

Like their characters, the cast has something to prove: they can still headline an action film.  Bruce Willis is still intimating at 55 and still looks like he can kick butt and take names.  I normally don't like John Malkovich, he's just weird, but he was the best choice for this part.  His Marvin is crazy and uninhibited and gets some funny lines.  Helen Mirren steals the show as Victoria, playing against type as a tough wetwork agent.  You keep waiting for her character to appear and shoot people.  The rest of the cast is alright, but not overly memorable.

Check it out.  And check out THIS review at Film Forager.

Red (2010) 111 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language.
Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Bruce Willis as Frank Moses
Morgan Freeman as Joe Matheson
John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs
Helen Mirren as Victoria
Mary Louise Parker as Sarah Ross
Karl Urban as William Cooper
Brian Cox as Ivan Simanov