Rental: The Sentinel 3. Kiefer Sutherland has been type cast again. At least this time it isn't as the young, potentially supernatural, asshole. The success of Jack Baur (his role in 24) has gotten him pigeon-holed as the hardcore fed. And I think I'm ok with that. Kiefer's really grown into a decent actor. The Sentinel is a decent little political espionage movie. I like Kiefer and Michael Douglas, it's a pity their chemistry isn't better. I think the biggest complaint I have with this movie is that the writers come up with an excellent premise that they don't have the smarts to pull off. If you're going to claim that your main character is capable of outwitting the Secret Service, you'd better be able then make it happen. This character wasn't even capable of outwitting me. Still, aside from the middle, which dragged a little, this was a nice little action romp.  ¶ 10:52 AM 0 comments

  Rental: Stranger Than Fiction 8. This was one of those many movies that slipped past me in the theaters over the holiday season. It's ok... the ginormous screen at the faithful AMC googleplex wouldn't have added anything to it. This is a great movie... one of those films that will be called a "modern American classic" when TNT runs it 17 times over a weekend 10 years from now. Will Farrell plays his role completely straight, for which I'll thank him sincerely next time I see him before punching him in the head for the rest of his comedy tripe. Emma Thompson is so neurotic, she's almost painful to watch. And I'm now baffled that Dustin Hoffman wasn't nominated for a best supporting actor award for his role.

I don't think I'll spoil any surprises by mentioning the plot. Will's character is a somewhat obsessive/compulsive IRS auditor who leads a completely boring life. Then one day he begins to hear the voice of a female author narrating his life as if it were a novel. Will suspects he's cracking up and would probably just go through the rest of his life merely annoyed with the voice until it explains that he's going to die. Here begins his quest to figure out what's going on and why he's fated to die (something not even Emma has worked out yet) and to "live" a little in case his number is coming up. And finally he finds out if it is.

See this at your earliest opportunity.  ¶ 1:04 AM 0 comments

  Zodiac 5. I'm hesitant to give this movie a 5. I distinctly remember watching a decent movie, but it was apparently so forgetable that I can't remember much about it now, only a week later. I seem to remember it was nicely made. I seem to remember the plot holding my attention. I seem to remember getting caught up in the suspense. I seem to remember the acting was good. (I seem to remember it was kind of long.) And I distinctly remember that Robert Downey Jr., while type cast again, made more of his role than most actors could have. Bravo Robert. I'd like to see more of you... Stay clean. Of course, being based on a real life drama which had no real life conclusion, the ending of the movie was pretty flat. That's ok, I guess.... it was pre-doomed to flatness.

The worse thing I can say about Zodiac is that I won't remember it at all 6 months from now.  ¶ 12:44 AM 0 comments