Friday, September 23, 2011

Hanna



I was very much looking forward to this movie when I first saw the advance stories.  The trailers almost dampened that enthusiasm, but I'm glad I kept going.

Hanna is the story of a little girl and her father, living in the woods of Germany.  Though her life is hard, she and her father seem to have a wonderful life together.  Soon, this comes to an end, however.  She declares herself ready to go and take their vengeance on the woman responsible for the death of her mother.

This sets her out on a mission that covers tremendous expanses, and reveals more of who she is.  In the end, the final question is not how to kill the villain, but rather...  Just who IS Hanna?

This movie has a justified PG-13 rating, because of language and violence.  There is also some insinuated sexuality, though there is no nudity or actual sex scenes.  I did find the friend Hanna finds to be a bit over the top, with her talk of lesbianism.  However, considering kids her age are now feeling pressured to make decisions such as these, perhaps it's not so over the top after all.


All in all, this movie is certainly time well spent.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Man Who Knew Too Little





Ever notice how often we read reviews on the brand new movie that's just recently come out, whether to theater or DVD, and get all excited? Ever counted how many times you started talking about one of your favorite older movies, only to find that the person has never seen it? Same kind of excitement both times.

It's for this reason that I am reviewing old movies as well as new. I enjoy telling about movies that I have enjoyed and that I think others would enjoy as well. Such is the older, but amazing, "Man Who Knew Too Little."


Bill Murray is an actor who has not received the accolades he truly deserves. In a world where looks seem to be everything, he has thrived and continually put out hilarious and side-splitting movies, much to the enjoyment of his fans. Though some are a bit raunchy, most are pretty family friendly, especially by today's standards.

"The Man Who Knew Too Little" begins with Wallace "Wally" Ritchie (Murray) making an unannounced trip to England to visit his brother James (Peter Gallagher) and sister-in-law Barbara (Anna Chancellor). His timing could not be worse, however, because James is planning the biggest meeting of his career to take place that very night after dinner. When Barbara suggests they have Wally take part in a real-life theater experience, James jumps at the chance.

Things don't quite go as planned, though. Wally receives a call for "Spencer," and James convinces Wally it is the name of his character. As it turns out, Spencer is actually an assassin, and the oblivious Wally just took over his assignment. After meeting the beautiful yet mysterious Lori (Joanne Whalley), chaos reigns as they turn well laid plans into complete and utter hilarity.


This movie is rated PG for innuendo and comic violence. Enjoy it!!

The Mechanic





I must confess - I love Jason Statham movies. Truly do. However, I hate that every two out of three are full of needless sex. I just picked up The Mechanic, and it turns out this movie is one of those with the sex. How bad is it? Well, let me put it this way. I make back-ups of all my movies, and this particular movie is going to have me editing it myself. That's right... I'm cutting the scenes of gratuitous nudity and sex because they've got nothing to do with the movie.

As it turns out, this is also a boon to those who, like me, love the films but hate these scenes. It means you can skip right past them without losing any storyline.


The Mechanic is an "R" rated film for a reason, and cutting out all nudity would not affect that rating. It is violent and bloody, but it is also quite a bit of fun. There is humor and more than a few pokes at our modern day society, along with some seriously twisted sight gags.


Jason Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a seemingly quiet, unassuming gent with a thing for a local singer/dancer named Sarah (Mini Anden). However, the reality of who he really is is known only to a few, such as his friend Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland). Bishop is an assassin, and a specialist at that. He's able to make any job look like anything from an accident, to a very clear message.
When Harry ends up dead as a result of a contract put out by his partner Dean, (Tony Goldwyn), Bishop decides it's time to close up shop for good. Taking on Harry's son Steve, (Ben Foster), he goes after the ones responsible for the double-cross. But when a double-cross of his own surfaces to haunt him, everything comes to the fore in a way he never imagined...

Or had he?


The Mechanic gets a total of four out of five stars from me, losing one for the pointless sex and nudity. Aside from that, the movie lived up to my expectations, which is no small feat. If the directors that Statham works with can get their hormones under control, I'd be so much happier.


Enjoy!