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Taken 2 starring Liam Neeson & Maggie Grace: Doesn’t Kick Ass As Much as Taken

Posted on March 28, 2013 Written by ripitup

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Taken 2 starring Liam Neeson, Famke Jenssen & Maggie Grace. Image via tophollywoodmovies.com

 

If you haven’t seen Taken, I suggest seeing it first. It will probably make you appreciate Taken 2 less, but it is the reason of the second movie was made and the third is probably in the works. Because, even though Taken 2 is not as cool or impressive as Taken, I am not ready to stop watching Liam Neeson kicking ass around Europe saving someone he cares about.

Oh, and I might be dropping Taken spoilers.

That said, let’s roll:

Our favorite badass ex-CIA Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) is now closer with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), though he is worried about how she is coping (or if she is being careful enough) after he saved her from a human trafficking gang (and killed everyone who was responsible) in France.

Unfortunately , the father of one of those men is incredibly pissed and wants justice. And he gets the perfect opportunity when Brian travels to Istanbul for a private security job and his daughter and ex-wife (Famke Jenssen) visit him.

This time, they manage to take her, and Brian. But of course Kim tries to be daddy’s daughter, and with her help, Brian starts kicking ass again.

Taken > Taken 2

It pretty much sums it up. Taken is bigger, better, cooler. Brian kicks more ass, and kicks it better in Taken. As much as there are probably things that defy rationale in the first film, I don’t remember noticing because I was too busy getting caught in the action.

This is not to say that Taken 2 isn’t entertaining. It is. But because it is more over-the-top in many ways that is less cool and often less logical, you notice the flaws. You notice how stupid the criminals are.

And then there is the over-stereotyping of Istanbul that doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone who has been there. Granted, France wasn’t shown in the best light in Taken, but again, we were too “taken” by the film to realize or care.

That said, if you liked the first one, you should at least try to give the second one a shot. I belong to the club that really enjoys Liam Neeson kicking ass all around Europe. I loved Taken and I loved Unknown. Taken 2 is alright, and yes, I’ll see the third one if they make it.

But I’d say: Taken> Unknown> Taken 2

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Also on Liam Neeson:

Unknown starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones & Aidan Quinn

The A-Team starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Sharlto Copley & Quinton Rampage Jackson

Chloe starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried

Seraphim Falls starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan

The Other Man starring Liam Neeson, Antonio Banderas and Laura Linney

Battleship starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker & Alexander Skarsgard

Famke janssen:

City of Industry starring Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton

Maggie grace

Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace

 

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Famke Jenssen, Liam Neeson, liam neeson taken, liam neeson taken 2, liam neeson unknown, maggie grace, taken 2 liam nesson, taken 2 movie review, taken liam neeson, Unknown, unknown liam neeson, unknown movie

The Following 1×02 Chapter Two Review: Still cool, and yes, Hardy Needs to Toughen Up. But how?

Posted on January 30, 2013 Written by ripitup

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With the haters hating and lovers loving, The Following has scored over 10,000,000 viewers and if Fox keeps its word of one episode every week, we will be in for a treat. And with luck, second season or not, we will get a cool ending, since Bacon has only signed for one season.
Kevin Bacon-The Following
Kevin Bacon finds creepy Poe masks in Emma’s old place. Yes, he is weirded out like us. Image via zap2it.com.

Episode 2 wasn’t as thrilling as 1, but it was gritty, dynamic and it set a nice little background for what’s more to come. My only problem was that there was too much background for Emma, the babysitter. What I didn’t like about it was that she was so gullible and readily so disturbed that Carroll didn’t even have to remove a finger to impress her.

This has a pro and a con: It shows how it is possible that Carroll (James Purefoy) has such a devoted cult. Many were already ready and willing. The con? We are supposed to believe Carroll is one charismatic and influential psychopath path, but if groupies are groupies without any effort from him, it makes the followers psychotic but it doesn’t add to the hype of the character they are building.

As for Hardy (Kevin Bacon) needing to toughen up, I have to agree with Carroll there. Now, Hardy was never a sissy- and the fact that Grace died isn’t his fault. The bureau is still full of idiots that don’t listen to him.  They are getting a little wiser, but Hardy does still need to up his game. For one, Carroll has an army of young and fit psychopaths. But he expects this to happen with Hardy’s heart, something he gave Hardy in the first place, is beyond me. Maybe we should call Tony Stark about that…

I do like the conflicts between the trio, Emma and the two non-gay neighbors. One of the guys is dating her while the other resents her. And I do have a feeling the resenting one does have bi tendencies, to say the least. I’d enjoy it if he took down Emma.

I also like the cult-expert agent, played by Person of Interest’s Stanton, Reese’s former CIA partner, Annie Parisse. She is cool, and whether she turns out to be a mole or not, she is a good addition.

As for Claire (Natalie Zea), Carroll’s ex, I loved the dialogue where Carroll asks whether she quivered with Hardy’s every touch and she says “yeah, it did.” Need I mention Hardy was watching along with other FBI agents and Carroll knowing this?

The only 2 things that will make me hate The Following:

Claire or Hardy turning out to be on Carroll’s side. It’d be the equivalent of Patrick Jane turning out to be Red John, and it is a big no-no. Other than that, Williamson can bring it on!

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: annie parisse, annie parisse the following, james purefoy, james purefoy the following, kevin bacon the following, maggie grace, maggie grace the following, natalie zea, the following, the following 1x02, the following 1x02 review, the following cast, the following chapter two, the following episode 2, the following kevin bacon, the following tv series

The Following starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy: Epic Start

Posted on January 25, 2013 Written by ripitup

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The Following starring Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea & Shawn Ashmore.

Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) is a “retired” FBI agent who quit the agency after catching the serial killer John Carroll (James Purefoy) whose victims were his female university literature students and were killed brutally, with references to classic horror writer Edgar Allen Poe.

Not everyone wants him back, and he doesn’t want to be back. But when John escapes from prison to kill his only surviving victim, Sarah (Maggie Grace), he doesn’t have a choice. Sarah is heavily protected, and so is Claire (Natalie Zea)-John’s ex-wife.

Even though Ryan Hardy has literally written the book on Carol, things will be even more difficult this time: Carroll has formed a huge following-ready to kill or be killed for him. And Ryan has a battery operating heart, no longer in great physical condition, and the FBI agents working for him won’t always listen, with the exception of fan Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore). Oh, and there is another minor complication-Hardy had an affair with the killer’s ex-wife…

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Let there be blood…Kevin Williamson Style

There is anyone who knows to utilize clichés better than anyone else, it is the writer/creator Kevin Williamson. It’s not to say he doesn’t thrown a bit originality here and there, but his signature is to get well-known clichés, make some homage, make fun of them a little, add something from himself and get hits, no matter the genre.

But while the first Scream movie was good to watch, the series became a bore, leading to way too many slashers, several of them written by Williamson himself.

But just when you thought he is all about slashing teens, he came up with Dawson’s Creek, where all the teen problems and angst came together pretty seamlessly, until he decided to go all Melrose Place on us and have all the characters hook up with each other.

But he is great with beginnings, and The Following pilot, to me, is the best thing he has ever done. Admittedly, I was positively biased towards the show. Hello, it is regular Kevin Bacon on TV! And it does have a compelling plot, and I do love a good cat and mouse.

As for the clichés some viewers have been complaining about, well stuff was probably original when Poe wrote them, but today, you need to give the writers a break. I am not saying it is OK to write sloppy and stupid, but The Following makes the best of its material.

And Williamson has picked the best cliché to begin with. And the first fictional serial killer Purefroy’s character reminded me of is Red John of The Mentalist. It made me feel like they were showing how Red John is operating.

I like that the agent didn’t lose a family member of his to the killer (The Mentalist, Se7en, The Watcher…), I like that with his first encounter with the psycho, he got injured right away before going all Taken on Purefroy’s ass. I like that he really cared about Sarah, but got involved killer’s wife. I liked that the killer had an unsuspecting wife and a son.

The pilot was really something, but then again, it is all relative, and it does depend on what you expect. I got what I was waiting for:

A chilling and cool thriller with interesting character interactions, on-the-edge protagonist, and that the fact that the villain is writing his “next novel” with the ex-agent.

So yeah, it’s well worth watching, even if just to check out Kevin Bacon alone.

There are few actors who ace the psycho, the good, the grey, and Bacon is one of them.

P.S. Another cliche that works? Marilyn Manson’s version of Sweet Dreams in a horror/thriller setting.


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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: james purefoy, james purefoy the following, kevin bacon the following, Kevin Williamson, maggie grace, maggie grace the following, natalie zea, shawn ashmore, the following, the following cast, the following kevin bacon, the following tv series

Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace

Posted on August 1, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace: Fun, Fast, Cool Action
Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace: Fun, Fast, Cool Action. Image via evrenselfilm.com.

Snow (Guy Pearce) is a highly efficient, smartass CIA agent who gets setup during his last operation. Secret Service agent (Peter Stormare) is convinced that he killed a fellow agent and was selling state secrets. Snow’s only ally is another agent, who seems to believe in his innocence. But Snow eventually gets sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Emilie (Maggie Grace) is the president’s daughter on a humanitarian mission, visiting the world’s most secure prison-the first and only prison in space.

It holds the most dangerous criminals, who are kept in a sleeping state. She thinks that this increases aggression and can even cause dementia, but the guards just can’t wait to send her back off after giving her an interview with one of the criminals. But when the interview goes awry and the criminal manages to break out, she finds herself held hostage with the other employees and her one guard.

Of course there is only one guy who is good enough to get her out of there alive, and it is Snow. Not that he is willing to risk his own butt to fight against a prsion full of psychos, bu he accepts it when he learns his partner Mace has been sent there. And hey, it is the only way to get around his own sentence.

From that moment on, Snow uses all his skills to save himself and Emilie, and find Mace- while teaching a her a few thing or two about being tough. And both Snow and Emilie find out that there might be more to the other one that meets the eye…

Unfortunately, the Secret Service just might be more concerned about saving the world from an infiltration of convicts than saving one woman, even though she is the first daughter…

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Lockout is one of the funniest, most entertaining and exciting sci-fi/action movies out there. Actually, a part the prison is the only sci-fi element, but then again, it doesn’t seem that much of a stretch for 2079. And it is not funny because there is comedy, but because Snow delivers hilarious oneliners with perfect timing. And it is fun to see your well-built, effective and attractive agent deliver all the comedy with a straight face.

See Lockout- it is fun action at its best, and was co-written by Luc Besson. Make the action here Guy Pearce and you have a cool movie at your best, without an unneccessary love story attached.

Also on Guy Pearce:

Guy Pearce Trivia

The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush & Guy Pearce

Also on Peter Stormare

The Killing Room starring Timothy Hutton & Peter Stormare

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: action, guy pearce, guy pearce lockout, guy pearce movies, lockout cast, lockout guy pearce, lockout movie, Luc Besson, maggie grace, maggie grace lockout, Peter Stormare, sci fi

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