thriller | pinartarhan.com

From Paris with Love starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Posted on June 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

From Paris with Love starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Read for kick-ass entertainment? Good. Image from: divxplanet.com

Paris. James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the US Ambassador’s(Richard Durden) assistant As far as the ambassador is concerned, James is the perfect assistant. He is timely, efficient and organized. He speaks foreign languages and he is a great chess player. What the ambassador doesn’t know is that Reece is also trying to be a spy in the name of the American government. Sure, it is patriotism but it is enough to make Reece’s life complicated. He needs to do secret tasks in front of his boss or he needs to leave his beloved girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak) behind to leave for an operation.

Reece’s most important and dangerous mission to date arrives when he is asked to drive American Charlie Wax around. He is a field-rated spy and is very unconventional, to say the least. Pretty soon, Reece finds himself in the middle of shootings, gang beatings, prostitutes and their pimps…He is freaked out. Before he can get used to one hectic and deadly situation, another one breaks out. ..

Fun. This movie was really fun. Before I say why you should see it, I want to talk about what you might not like.

Cons:

*If you want to look for poor character development (Caroline)or some unrealistic situations, you will find it.

* And you might be bothered that almost none of the criminals/terrorists are white. The bad guys are either black or Asian or Pakistani. Our two Americans are out to save the day….But if you can past this, the movie is a real riot.

* You might think that John Travolta’s bad ass characters seem incredibly similar.

Pros:

*John Travolta. His character is so much fun. And if you do think you may have seen him as a bad ass one two many times, start thinking about his good roles and then you will appreciate the range After all, he was in the ever popular musical Grease. He was in Saturday Night Fever. He did comedy and romance in Look Who’s Talking He played a governor in Primary Colors. And do remember that he played an angel in Michael and a woman in Hairspray. Add that all up and it becomes even more fun to watch him.

* Jonathan Rhys Meyers. He is a good actor. So far he played King Henry, Elvis, a social-ladder climber, a misunderstood bad boy, a girls’ team football coach and more.

* Action. Tons of it! The story belongs to Luc Besson, the guy who created the Taxi series and Taken.

*The chemistry between John and Jonathan’s characters. The opposites are entertaining.

Favorite Scenes:

Well, almost any scene where John Travolta is kicking ass – especially the car chase with a “heavier metal”.

6.4. on IMDB. If you start analyzing characters and plot, it might very well be a 6. But if you don’t, it is at least a 7. It is mindless action and it is pretty damned good at that. And is it just me, or does Travolta still look at home in action movies?

More on John Travolta

6 Good Movies with Brilliant Casts

Favourite Actors to Play Villians

Actor Musicians and Musician Actors

More on Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Movies and Roles

“V” 2009 starring Elizabeth Mitchell, Charles Mesure, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch & Scott Wolf

Posted on June 7, 2010 Written by ripitup

V 2009 starring Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman, Lourdes Benedicto, Laura Vandervoort, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf. Image from: http://img42.imageshack.us/

Pilot, Characters & Concept

V is for visitors.

New Yorkers feel an earthquake. If only it were that simple. A giant spaceship has parked above their city. Their leader is Anna (Morena Baccarin). She addresses the nation and assures them that they need some stuff from the earth and in exchange, they are willing to share their technology and help improve people’s lives. They look like humans. They seem friendly. Many think they are the coolest and they are in deed as friendly and peaceful as they claim to be.

Protestors have other ideas. They are pretty sure the “V”s are up to something and it can’t be good.

FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) is living with her 17-year-old son Tyler (Logan Huffman)

Ryan (Morris Chestnut)- a successful stockbroker, about to ask his live-in girlfriend, psychotherapist Val (Lourdes Benedicto) to marry him.

Jack (Joel Gretsch) is a priest who marvels at how many people turned up at his church after the visitors arrived. However when it comes to visitors, he’s a lot more skeptical than his much older colleague.

Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) is a news anchor who wasn’t all that popular until he manages to charm Anna and scores an exclusive interview on the mothership.

The problem is, the protestors have been right along. Vs aren’t friendly. They have a deadly ulterior motive and only a small number of people are aware of it. These people are led by Georgie (David Richmond-Peck). He is trying to persuade Ryan to come back to fight for the cause. Now that Ryan is about to start a family, he is not all that willing. But who will fight for the humans when most are just charmed by the Vs and practically worshipping the ground they walk on?

Erica soon finds out Vs have invaded their lives long before the ships have arrived. She sees the malice, but she is having a hard time trying to persuade her son to stay away from the Vs. He is already infatuated with a beautiful visitor girl named Lisa (Lauren Vandervoort)…

The show got me hooked from the first episode. The characters are all interesting. They all have personal motives, no matter what side they are on. The characters never know who to trust, which exciting and surprising plot twist you will encounter.

It is always complicated. The effects are good, the actors are marvelous at their roles. More importantly, shades of grey exist all over the show. Just like there are Vs among humans with hidden agendas and identities, there are traitors among Vs who want to save themselves and others from Anna’s grip. There is the resistance among Vs, among humans, the alliance Erica, Jack, Ryan and Georgie form. There is Tyler who’s growing apart from her mom and there is Chad Decker (Scott Wolf). He is a nice guy but he is loving all the benefits Anna has provided his career too much. And let’s not forget the political turmoil the aliens have created all over the world…

There is a mini-series of the same name in 1983. I can’t comment how similar or different the two Vs are as I haven’t seen the old one. But take it from someone who loves her suspense, thrillers but is not that much into sci-fi or aliens, this show just rocks. It is a sci-fi show that even non sci-fi lovers can enjoy. Don’t miss out on this treat of a show. 7.7 over on IMDB. 10/10 from me.

UPDATED on March 9, 2011

I wrote the V review in the middle of first season. Now the second season aired the 9^th episode of season 2 (Devil in a Blue Dress) yesterday and I am more hooked than ever.

The writing is still great, and the relationship between characters just got more complicated. Anna’s weaknesses as well as advantages are increasing. We still don’t know Hobbes’ (Charles Mesure) back story, and Anna has a very determined rival (Jane Badler) on her ship.

Some of the season 2’s characters aren’t in the show, but obviously Anna, her right-hand Marcus, Joshua, daughter Lisa and all our leading human rebels are intact. I have run out of addictive shows, except for V. So, 1,5 seasons later, I just wanted to say, I am still hooked and I am still giving the show a 10/10.

Fun Notes:

* Elizabeth Mitchell is no stranger to Lost fans as she appeared in over 50 episodes of the show.

* You might remember Scott Wolf from Party of Five, a tv show from the 90s. Scott played one of the 5 siblings who were left to take care of each other when their parents die. Oldest sibling was played by Matthew Fox a.k.a Jack, as Lost fans know him.

Also on Elizabeth Mitchell and Charles Mesure

Trivia for V’s Elizabeth Mitchell (Erica Evans) and Charles Mesure (Kyle Hobbes)

The New Daughter starring Kevin Costner

Posted on May 28, 2010 Written by ripitup

The New Daughter starring Kevin Costner. Image from: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/gallery

Really? I mean really? So much effort went into the effort of creating suspense and some really thrilling moments. Nothing scary but it is enough to be disturbing and engaging. All the time the options run through your head. Is it really supernatural or are we going to have a psychotic villain? If it is supernatural, what the hell are we dealing with? Until the professor (Noah Taylor) comes up with the explanation, the movie was promising. Then it went downhill so fast I couldn’t believe Kevin Costner took the role.

Sorry, I am getting carried away. Let me give you the plot first and then keep on ranting:

John James (Kevin Costner) is a newly divorced father/writer who moves his kids- teenage daughter Louisa (Ivana Baquero) and little boy Sam (Gattlin Griffith)- to a rural area. It’s supposed to be a fresh start in a new house. However, from the moment they move in, something is always off. Since the daughter is a teenager abondoned by her mother, you need to keep guessing how much of the events is because of hormones/depression/rebellion and how much is horror/thriller material. Then there is a mould in the yard…The film gets an additional character as the children’s new teacher, Cassandra (Samantha Mathis). With a little crush on the dad/the author, she tries to help out the family. But of course, just like any thrill/horror, no amount of emotional support or guidance won’t just cut it.

Suspense-building is good. Tension-creating is good. The acting is OK. The daughter’s lines do get won’t go to waste. But it does. What starts as a promising movie that makes you think why it got a 5.4. on IMDB (and not a 6 or a 7), ends up being a movie that ends up being extremely overrated.

It does remind you a little of Signs and not in a good way. I realized I wasn’t the only one thinking it when I saw a user also made a comparison. The difference is, I think this movie was just as disappointing as Signs.

If you absolutely must watch this movie, just make sure you expect normally until the last 25-30 minutes or so. After that, keep your expectations very,very low and leave your sense of aesthetics completely. And a little spoiler: The very,very final scene may not be what you expect. I am not sure if it is good news or bad news.

All Posts Featuring Kevin Costner

Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook and William Hurt

Nicholas Sparks vs Happy Endings- Kevin Costner’s Message in a Bottle

Kevin Costner: An Amazing Lead Who Should Just Stay Away From Sci-Fi

When Adultery is OK- Revenge (Movie Review of Revenge, Starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn)

Cheating Celebrity Trivia: 8 Celebs Thay Cheated – feat. Kevin Costner

Whose movie is it? : A post on Actor/Directors, Screenwriters and Producers – And who gets the last word

Handsome Actors to Play Villains: Viggo Mortensen, Tom Cruise, Xavier Samuel, Kevin Bacon and Kevin Costner

Air Force One starring Harrison Ford, Glenn Close and Gary Oldman

Posted on May 23, 2010 Written by ripitup

Air Force One starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Glenn Close. Image from http://www.kotiposti.net/

With the collaboration of Russia and USA, a tyrant leader is captured and put the jail. This is seen as a triumph by both countries. However US President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) is skeptical. He is determined to favor humanity over politics and save more people the next time.

It is time for the President to go home on Air Force 1. The plane has The First Lady (Wendy Crewson), the president’s daughter, important administrative staff, his press secretary, bodyguards and a Russian-speaking (led by Gary Oldman) group who is supposed to make an interview with the President and the staff. The plane safely takes off. However unknown to the passengers, there is a traitor on the staff and with his help, the Russian group prove that they are something else all together. They hijack the plane, threatening to kill the hostages. Their demand? The release of the tyrant. The Vice President (Glenn Close) does her best to control the situation. The President can leave in his escape pod and jump off to safety or he can stay to fight for the hostages and the family. While it seems like mission impossible, the president will do his best to use his “General” skills, his intelligence and well…adrenaline…

This movie was fun. Pure, unsaturated action/thriller. So what if Harrison Ford will save the world once again? He does it well and we expect him to. Our Han Solo/Indiana Jones/ Jack Ryan sure has the guts and the experience to pull it off.

If there were any major flaws, I didn’t notice. I was too busy having fun. I liked the fact that all the terrorists spoke in Russian between themselves. It added authencity. While some might argue that we get another heroic President with the perfect family life gets to save the world, along with a little help from his friends (Independence Day, Bill Pullman also comes to mind), it is not like the screenplay writer hasn’t rubbed the viewers’ noses in America’s political sins. Movies like this tend to portray a perfect politician: honest, determined, family-oriented, loving and humane. He also comes with a fondness for football and a good sense of humor. I like this type of fictional politicians because let’s face it, movies are the only places we are going to see this politician. So enjoy his character, root for him and well…let the action begin. I guess I don’t really need to mention that Glen Close and Gary Oldman are good as always. I am yet to encounter a role that they sold and I didn’t buy.

Reasons to see the movie:

– The Cast: Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman, William H. Macy

– The Concept and The Genre: It is so cool to imagine how it would be to fly in that nuclear-war resistant, ultimately gorgeous plane. And action on a plane is a concept I do enjoy.This one is truly well done. It had 2 Oscar nominations: Best Sound and Best Editing.

– The script is good.

Made in 1997. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Outbreak, The Perfect Storm, Troy). Written by Andrew W. Marlowe.

6.3 on IMDB. 7 for the art, 9 for the entertainment from me.

Favorite Villain Quote:

– Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman)- to the First Lady: In a war, people die.

– First Lady: This isn’t war! You just murdered an unarmed woman!

– Egor Korshunov: You who murdered a hundred thousand Iraqis to save a nickel on a gallon of gas are going to lecture me on the rules of war? DON’T!!!!

Six Days Seven Nights starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche

Firewall starring Harrison Ford and Paul Bettany

Gary Oldman Tribute

The Scarlet Letter starring Gary Oldman and Demi Moore