OLD VERSES THE BRAND NEW METHOD FOR 'GOING IN STYLE'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U6wbgB5j1v-IYDXnxW9iA9SYk6m2DrYZke2caTYnM9w-jIzrkFZn9N6MaUEawAmlJgIkPn8tzA9YfGIGVzSWtFE5Ve0YZC_0MdVsugtcoCsG04rS6f_Nr-SVl5VlPKMXCCcUoVu2rokw/s1600/22+2.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U6wbgB5j1v-IYDXnxW9iA9SYk6m2DrYZke2caTYnM9w-jIzrkFZn9N6MaUEawAmlJgIkPn8tzA9YfGIGVzSWtFE5Ve0YZC_0MdVsugtcoCsG04rS6f_Nr-SVl5VlPKMXCCcUoVu2rokw/s400/22+2.jpeg" width="368"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Karen Montgomery says bye to Art Carney in 19 79 version</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">For a website covering new movies while being all about old and semi old classics, the difference between two eras of filmmaking and/or storytelling can be summed up pretty quick and fairly easy, right here and now, with a single motion picture that's been remade... </span><br> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br></span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Martin Brest 1979 laidback comedy caper GOING IN STYLE starred two celebrity icons, George Burns and Art Carney, as well as acting guru Lee Strasberg (Hyman Roth from THE GODFATHER II), and centered on three old-timers who rob a bank:</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> In movies back then, protagonists didn't need a reason to be angry about society in order to pull off a heist since, at the end of the 1970's Renaissance, while films were becoming less independent and more mainstream, so this movie combined both with a story catered to an audiences and a plotline and structure that only meant something for the characters within... The polar opposite of the GOING IN STYLE remake from 2017. </span><br>

2017, alan arkin, art carney, george burns, heist, karen montgomery, lee strasberg, matt dillon, michael caine, morgan freeman, new, seventies

OLD VERSES THE BRAND NEW METHOD FOR 'GOING IN STYLE'

Karen Montgomery says bye to Art Carney in 19 79 version For a website covering new movies while being all about old and semi old classi...

JACK NICHOLSON & MORGAN FREEMAN IN THE BUCKET LIST

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82Rd9PxPzIgTr2w4J85GYhPLr6Kz_4ui0kkbHunW7ZMsL19ZyxHRXTkLNCaRqToTxxCAHqcx0SsX2pDy9_kG42Ae3We8v2XPDkE_fbia-ay4oppJsgymUqUpoUosbtWxta8y65pBhqgas/s1600/14600836_202722593490258_8481962365578924908_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82Rd9PxPzIgTr2w4J85GYhPLr6Kz_4ui0kkbHunW7ZMsL19ZyxHRXTkLNCaRqToTxxCAHqcx0SsX2pDy9_kG42Ae3We8v2XPDkE_fbia-ay4oppJsgymUqUpoUosbtWxta8y65pBhqgas/s400/14600836_202722593490258_8481962365578924908_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jack and Morgan's perspective of an unreachable mountain YEAR: 2008</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Having ventured back into the classic cinema of Jack Nicholson throughout the years, we'll now embark on a relatively modern journey when the man was reunited with the director of <i>the first</i> of his two middle-aged-era pinnacles, ending with AS GOOD AS IT GETS and starting with A FEW GOOD MEN... <br> Right from the start, in THE BUCKET LIST, the number of times a medical board member gives each other knowing, untrusting glances while Jack's character... a millionaire who owns privatized hospitals... stands, or rather, sits lazily on some kind of hearing against him, this is the sign of director Rob Reiner, begging the audience to agree that Jack is (at first) up to no damn good: What's important is that his Alpha Male tycoon is the polar opposite of the trivia whiz mechanic played by Morgan Freeman...<br>

comedy, disease, drama, jack nicholson, morgan freeman, rob reiner, zeroes

JACK NICHOLSON & MORGAN FREEMAN IN THE BUCKET LIST

Jack and Morgan's perspective of an unreachable mountain YEAR: 2008 Having ventured back into the classic cinema of Jack Nicholson t...

BELATED REVIEW OF LONDON HAS FALLEN

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIXNs7lAqiXYADOotfjg_pGJD_EfAVJwv3l1LUz5h_itRaKrlDm1Cf-_QRFVOxWs74Xh21bMSOY-BIX9D7LiEHQSToSabTopikgp8YO4YmbvzUmpM6esB_BozBGY6X8xBXdnq9cGc6bI/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIXNs7lAqiXYADOotfjg_pGJD_EfAVJwv3l1LUz5h_itRaKrlDm1Cf-_QRFVOxWs74Xh21bMSOY-BIX9D7LiEHQSToSabTopikgp8YO4YmbvzUmpM6esB_BozBGY6X8xBXdnq9cGc6bI/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart try remaining visible and important amidst all the death and explosions in LONDON</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> You will always find a brand new situation here on CULT FILM FREAK, a movie review website that learns along the way... And so, while watching LONDON HAS FALLEN, yours truly had no idea (or had simply forgotten) that OLYMPUS had FALLEN beforehand: as now, American President Benjamin Asher, played by THE DARK KNIGHT dimple-chinned Aaron Eckhart, and really starring Gerard Butler as Mike Banning have, well, another big crisis on their hands...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi1uJoBRwZrM1plbR8jcDXyE6f-mcq_JTtuK60C8gv3T-EU3dVtm6U5T2eSBqblSTuzy576IEX3IKPlKS7OIMcRXHMHgKbfxmAkb5GiwkQMWW4IqnrMp7shwfbIhOskp6bBM8hJX1CJc/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi1uJoBRwZrM1plbR8jcDXyE6f-mcq_JTtuK60C8gv3T-EU3dVtm6U5T2eSBqblSTuzy576IEX3IKPlKS7OIMcRXHMHgKbfxmAkb5GiwkQMWW4IqnrMp7shwfbIhOskp6bBM8hJX1CJc/s320/2.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaron Eckhart & Gerard Butler</td></tr> </tbody></table> Now, not having seen OLYMPUS, this particular writeup will center only on LONDON, without comparison... Either way, it's pretty obvious Mike Banning is the greatest Secret Service Agent on Earth. Seeming to have taken classes from Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood flicks, he's the man of the hour... From the onset, as the two important muscular guys are jogging outside the White House, it's obvious who's the strongest of the two... Darwin's theory is kinda lost here...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PLa7qq_9nJ1CRplHz9uigpkDKGPui-gDkytxBso8O9IJpjuHemIoxZcYOz_ibNdRV4ZK0yRtnb4q3auVTnpWDAXnzeg6eVaRRcd3_J1CpNK7tvBNhc7oOZUkp4cIMfRxOMwx-dymgdo/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PLa7qq_9nJ1CRplHz9uigpkDKGPui-gDkytxBso8O9IJpjuHemIoxZcYOz_ibNdRV4ZK0yRtnb4q3auVTnpWDAXnzeg6eVaRRcd3_J1CpNK7tvBNhc7oOZUkp4cIMfRxOMwx-dymgdo/s320/3.jpg" width="122" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard Butler</td></tr> </tbody></table> For the physically weakest, Eckhart is indeed the "Leader of the Free World," and if you could fathom having to read a hundred names from a phone book just to burn it to shreds thereafter, this is the most annoying LONDON gets as<i> every person's</i> name is displayed below themselves when first shown, in several regions... and hardly any are important enough for that to occur in the first place...<br /> <br /> Instead, who really matters are those two previously mentioned joggers that, while attending a beloved Prime Minister's funeral in England, wind up in a dark THIRD MAN underworld beneath the literally explosive London streets and, before and during one of the biggest terrorist raids in history, much of the film is Butler's agent keeping his President not only alive down there, but from getting captured and, most important and nightmarish to imagine, filmed (and forever viewable for his son) on YouTube, being possibly executed by agents working for... well that's one of the few people who really matter, at least of the bad guys, and he gets about a minute of screen-time... or less.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhM7R8rhuscV0MMXLlrzwXrPTJc1p1yPpoGO779bTjY15F5wHhAOcKca-BRUbl4gNLwlMyB6ZFun91sontY98jjzlSwjRUXWvfP4gQh7esyylOtR9kylnv_GHc6nqay7_AbejERTD1-BA/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhM7R8rhuscV0MMXLlrzwXrPTJc1p1yPpoGO779bTjY15F5wHhAOcKca-BRUbl4gNLwlMyB6ZFun91sontY98jjzlSwjRUXWvfP4gQh7esyylOtR9kylnv_GHc6nqay7_AbejERTD1-BA/s400/4.jpg" width="120" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerard Butler</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> So while LONDON isn't exactly a deep and/or flawless film, with far too many deaths for a viewer to take, it's not too shabby for a testosterone-heavy action-thriller relying on friendship and explosions...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8R_M81liUcQqmIZrRtQz6hxeniRsrc87LGdavssvMAnoAzp2FqE5Vco8N8Vy6lSFLBml9221PDEqaHs7ITd1nVUs2NI147_lB25U4m2xAn8Fhw9twRZmlSLA-hULs9rQalCAV8AHC8Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-26+at+10.47.25+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8R_M81liUcQqmIZrRtQz6hxeniRsrc87LGdavssvMAnoAzp2FqE5Vco8N8Vy6lSFLBml9221PDEqaHs7ITd1nVUs2NI147_lB25U4m2xAn8Fhw9twRZmlSLA-hULs9rQalCAV8AHC8Q/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-03-26+at+10.47.25+PM.jpg" width="122" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Forster</td></tr> </tbody></table> Also, not knowing till after of its sequel status, FALLEN is upped a notch since sequels are usually god-awful. And throughout the exterior noise and interior conversations, ranging from helicopter chases to hacker backrooms to Veep Morgan Freeman's Washington roundtable, we mainly center on the two friends: one that loves his family more than his important job, and the other who knows his own less-important yet much more (cinematically) involving job well enough to make all the distractions not matter a bit.<br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <br /> <u>RATING</u>: ***1/2<br /> <u>TRIVIA</u>: For Cult Movie fans, there is a sadly wasted duo sitting amongst many people at the table where Morgan Freeman does his figuring-out of the situation: that being Robert Forster, one of the most genuinely talented character-actors ever, starring in flicks from many decades including MEDIUM COOL, <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/02/black-hole.html">THE BLACK HOLE</a>, ALLIGATOR and VIGILANTE... And also on board is the original <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/11/bad-news-bears-archive1.html">BAD NEWS BEARS</a> tough kid Jackie Earle Haley, all grown-up after several comebacks: why they don't make a movie centering on his WATCHMAN character is insane... Meanwhile, Forster needs to turn up in bigger, better roles after what was supposed to be a solid Oscar nominated comeback in Tarantino's JACKIE BROWN as bail bondsman Max Cherry...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmdq5TcfxJnpzYeCyvkj0h9QiKT-N7NvWD6Cl58gwcuV20rOwK4pnFAcqCsNv8bNFQ62rh0AJzaKNgFFrktGoe-haZXHlYXyCSAR5KU6_-ZWSr4_Bpmh3nA7sEkCqH3SPAbsbAaQMgfQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-27+at+2.49.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmdq5TcfxJnpzYeCyvkj0h9QiKT-N7NvWD6Cl58gwcuV20rOwK4pnFAcqCsNv8bNFQ62rh0AJzaKNgFFrktGoe-haZXHlYXyCSAR5KU6_-ZWSr4_Bpmh3nA7sEkCqH3SPAbsbAaQMgfQ/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-03-27+at+2.49.51+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lights Out... Lights Out in...</td></tr> </tbody></table> Speaking of "Cult" but now of the music world, when the prime underground hacker is about to blackout all of London, he says "Lights out in London," referencing a track from the band UFO • THE THIRD MAN reference is from a classic Film Noir starring CITIZEN KANE actors Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, directed by Carol Reed and with a famous finale taking place in the dark English sewers • And saying (semi-humorously) Banning learned his moves from Bronson and Eastwood flicks aren't just because both tough guy actors starred in movies centering on the Secret Service, because ASSASSINATION and IN THE LINE OF FIRE, compared to the likes of DEATH WISH and MAGNUM FORCE, weren't very good... but it's all about connecting here, so those two were chosen.

aaron eckhart, action, gerard butler, jackie earle haley, morgan freeman, robert forster, sequel, thriller

BELATED REVIEW OF LONDON HAS FALLEN

Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart try remaining visible and important amidst all the death and explosions in LONDON You will always find a...

LUC BESSON DIRECTS SCARLETT JOHANSSON IN LUCY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNi5uw52C6s8_w3_gpkStf4-Zhe1tMC_dBtYx-5Wjr8pNP1yNby-uXLDo5sAc6OZpvBAwuZJanbJstCtky0rm3wNfXZyjXuB-7YWX3nmOZhqYyGE9spzt3LWjU4idyZsecg19Tm6jgKI/s1600/Lucy-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNi5uw52C6s8_w3_gpkStf4-Zhe1tMC_dBtYx-5Wjr8pNP1yNby-uXLDo5sAc6OZpvBAwuZJanbJstCtky0rm3wNfXZyjXuB-7YWX3nmOZhqYyGE9spzt3LWjU4idyZsecg19Tm6jgKI/s400/Lucy-Poster.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: white;">When writer/director Luc Besson does science-fiction, one gets the impression he prefers rising intentionally above the audience... </span><br /> <br /> So now he’s created the perfect starlet in Scarlett Johansson as LUCY, starting out as the naïve girlfriend of a passive/aggressive jerk with a dangerous occupation in Taiwan...<br /> <br /> More than sporadically, Besson compares Lucy's place in humanity to the animal kingdom by showing clips of nature coinciding with her particular situation, escalating wildly as she’s given the forced task to deliver a briefcase to mobsters, and then hide the contents of a mysterious blue drug inside her very own guts.  <br /> <br /> Once the drug leaks from the bag and flows through her bloodstream, Lucy begins using more (and more and more) than the required 10% of the brain, turning into a Marvel like superhero that can lift objects and project her image onto computers screens and… sky's the limitless... But all those powers aside, Lucy has one real mission: to seek her own hydraulic revenge against the Asian mobster who "hired" her in the first place. Meanwhile, the title cards and animal imagery become repetitive. Lucy, also the name given to the first female Ape/Neanderthal, is evolving quickly: We get the point already! <br /> <br /> Morgan Freeman’s wise Professor Norman keeps the expository information in check, teaching us flawed mortals stuff the nature clips don’t make entirely clear, morphing Lucy into what Johnny Depp’s limp TRANSCENDENCE attempted... but with guns blasting MATRIX style, it's a far more entertaining ride. And before long, you’ll forget the actual story evolves slower than our heroine, who, becoming floating specks of computerized dust particles, is still completely unbreakable.<br /> <br /> One can only imagine if Lucy had her own bombastic vengeance-driven story without all the science: KILL BILL 3, anyone? 

2014, action, luc besson, morgan freeman, scarlett johansson, science-fiction

LUC BESSON DIRECTS SCARLETT JOHANSSON IN LUCY

year: 2014 rating: *** When writer/director Luc Besson does science-fiction, one gets the impression he prefers rising intentionally abo...

JOHNNY DEPP AND REBECCA HALL IN TRANSCENDENCE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V13eg5ZzhgjydRes_BEzKqC0q0TRw8qopx24wKNIcHYQlyBUMGuCt5pzEACoG4TASgGa1NdoiRSSnrUNtYu9js4kLiXTABkSkazqmlpphDrriGd8VO_HUw93XBv5WCYvvcdwMra68vc/s1600/Transcendence-data-cloud-of-Johnny-Depp-movie-poster.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V13eg5ZzhgjydRes_BEzKqC0q0TRw8qopx24wKNIcHYQlyBUMGuCt5pzEACoG4TASgGa1NdoiRSSnrUNtYu9js4kLiXTABkSkazqmlpphDrriGd8VO_HUw93XBv5WCYvvcdwMra68vc/s1600/Transcendence-data-cloud-of-Johnny-Depp-movie-poster.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: *1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> It should come as no surprise that a mindtrip experience would begin in Berkeley, California… And with a mellow Jorma Kaukonen acoustic track chiming from a record player into a lovely garden, one wouldn’t expect TRANSCENDENCE to be so modern and technological…<br /> <br /> Even Johnny Depp’s brilliant Dr. Will Caster seems above such trivial matters as The Internet… With a voice sounding like a slightly buzzed Walter Cronkite impersonating an upper-class British snob, Depp is not only a guest star but doesn’t seem all there. Even when alive and kicking, before becoming part of a computer creation involving reanimated brainwaves, the Depp role could have been played by anyone…  <br /> <br /> And speaking of wasted casting, let’s breeze past filler roles including Morgan Freeman as a doubting scientist and Cillian Murphy as an FBI Agent… The real lead is Rebecca Hall as Caster’s wife Evelyn, who, carrying her late husband’s brain and voice via computer, sets up a gigantic research station in a town so small there’s hardly room for one horse. <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLSLPKSIcHqHOF-pSgmyVVqMWEfnn1YFAJfyazo1cW-WhaIrh5RX8gwTmwcKlO5d4ET0echUFW3xfJkshKQQXMniJripxdhUaMeZpBgkOm1wdKojFrRiAj2T0Xx8H8rwXR0hZTHnuLAc/s1600/Quah2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLSLPKSIcHqHOF-pSgmyVVqMWEfnn1YFAJfyazo1cW-WhaIrh5RX8gwTmwcKlO5d4ET0echUFW3xfJkshKQQXMniJripxdhUaMeZpBgkOm1wdKojFrRiAj2T0Xx8H8rwXR0hZTHnuLAc/s1600/Quah2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got Jorma?</td></tr> </tbody></table> All the work misleads us into thinking something nefarious will happen… For it seems that Caster, whose flickering image appears anywhere his wife roams within the white-walled underground compound, isn’t exactly himself: he could very well be a monstrous computer taking over the world!<br /> <br /> Which all very much sounds like a potentially decent sci-fi thriller… But after a rushed military attack we’re left with a preachy message that could have been titled AN INCONVENIENT MATRIX... <br /> <br /> At least Jorma’s meditative <i>Genesis</i> is spun once again. If anything else, TRANSCENDENCE serves as an outlet for the Jefferson Airplane (and Hot Tuna) guitarist to be heard as a solo act in a big budget mainstream film... Although this particular white rabbit leads us absolutely nowhere.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br />

2014, cillian murphy, johnny depp, mindtrip, morgan freeman, rebecca hall, science-fiction, thriller

JOHNNY DEPP AND REBECCA HALL IN TRANSCENDENCE

year: 2014 rating: *1/2 It should come as no surprise that a mindtrip experience would begin in Berkeley, California… And with a mellow ...

REVIEW OF' LAST VEGAS' WITH MICHAEL DOUGLAS & ROBERT DENIRO

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvmGWWxcx1j7wf3kOMwo-J_4mfnWXNe7KjqIfw7uDb2x_0ofzxh6ivFJovmuAI1CJ2k8Y7H1hF5dRHV2kKje3VPFIUoXWjFLAG8sGRLCptmH8WDbHGo0T5F8YH0NVIlXwWXrh0PMvL5o/s1600/last-vegas.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvmGWWxcx1j7wf3kOMwo-J_4mfnWXNe7KjqIfw7uDb2x_0ofzxh6ivFJovmuAI1CJ2k8Y7H1hF5dRHV2kKje3VPFIUoXWjFLAG8sGRLCptmH8WDbHGo0T5F8YH0NVIlXwWXrh0PMvL5o/s400/last-vegas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>An old wild bunch of LAST VEGAS Year: 2013</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> With Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline in the same movie... as old friends taking a trip to Las Vegas... we either needed a longer backstory/flashback of when they were giddy Brooklyn kids, or no flashback at all (preferred)... Either way it doesn’t matter: LAST VEGAS is a personality driven film…<br /> <br /> Douglas, as Billy, is the confident, womanizing leader while polar opposite DeNiro’s Paddy is the most brooding, and keeps the only dramatic subplot intact… Morgan Freeman as Archie is likable, wise and charming: as usual for Freeman... And Sam, played by Kevin Kline – given free reign to cheat on his progressive wife – is doing his sarcastic “Steve Martin light” shtick, providing bouts of comic relief to a comedy film and, as the only non "legend" herein, seems the most busy as the guys have a<i> bachelor party weekend</i> for Douglas's Billy, geared to marry a spry thirty-one year old, and he’s not as aware of his advanced age as if everyone else… Especially DeNiro's Paddy, who had married the girl Billy loved and is still sore Billy, a confident public speaker along with being extremely wealthy, didn’t make her funeral: to host it. This is as tense as things get… DeNiro holds onto a determined, temperamental stubbornness not without likable pathos – but, within the story, his incessant, grouchy whining can’t ruin the endless party…<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7z-xjYE0L1oBd46qx98ZUIs2ssRA-ugxtSFwq0GQH5pFM570BNP4OmeGdzd2TCMT3WhZ2aStg1gzrKS3oR4NhwxHku69SL1V15PRqUJOEV3KuBZmVf2IP0_fqtL724isAR75d3dPXSI/s1600/last-vegas1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7z-xjYE0L1oBd46qx98ZUIs2ssRA-ugxtSFwq0GQH5pFM570BNP4OmeGdzd2TCMT3WhZ2aStg1gzrKS3oR4NhwxHku69SL1V15PRqUJOEV3KuBZmVf2IP0_fqtL724isAR75d3dPXSI/s400/last-vegas1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>RATES: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The best parts are cliché yet entertaining enough to pass the time, as the boys become hosts at an indoor bikini contest, then VIP’s in a backroom nightclub, which isn't all fun and games: there’s actually a love story, kind of: Mary Steenburgen’s lounge singing Diana (who has aged quite well) provides sporadic heartfelt detours which don't slow down the breezy pace that, although soaked in a formulaic mainstream glow, makes for a genuinely enjoyable getaway: If aspiring to be contentedly mediocre — LAST VEGAS delivers.

2013, comedy, kevin kline, michael douglas, morgan freeman, robert deniro, team-up

REVIEW OF' LAST VEGAS' WITH MICHAEL DOUGLAS & ROBERT DENIRO

An old wild bunch of LAST VEGAS Year: 2013 With Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline in the same movie... as o...

NOW YOU SEE ME

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3IDGZ7zejpBGhz4yQ3Ev5Od6bOLv1lDhRxFBgIooXac5tIzO6Q7HjX_fa5AMVnFM-W-NCD3WUO0HbE7FoOlVZbTkVu-j7w6U0msP5VitngCfPsCvIhYqgwiKax3QJhtDSju_MtqcemcX/s1600/now-youseeme.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3IDGZ7zejpBGhz4yQ3Ev5Od6bOLv1lDhRxFBgIooXac5tIzO6Q7HjX_fa5AMVnFM-W-NCD3WUO0HbE7FoOlVZbTkVu-j7w6U0msP5VitngCfPsCvIhYqgwiKax3QJhtDSju_MtqcemcX/s640/now-youseeme.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2013 cast: Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine <b>rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Perhaps NOW YOU DON’T, the second half of the famous line NOW YOU SEE ME, would be a more fitting title… After we get to know “The Four Horseman,” a group of magician/con artists using their showcase to steal from the rich and give to the poor (think David Copperfield meets Robin Hood), we don’t see them very much or get to know them all too well.  <br /> <br /> That’s not entirely bad since Mark Ruffalo’s put-upon FBI agent Dylan Rhodes… constantly on the trail of the roving charlatans, each a solo act until they were hired by a mysterious backer to pull off three big heist/shows as a team… is a worthy main character: Through his befuddled eyes we venture from one level onto the next.<br /> <br /> The Horseman include Jesse Eisenberg as a snarky card shark; Isla Fisher as a risk taking performance artist; Dave Franco as the group’s physically-charged street fighting freshman trying to prove his worth; and scene stealer Woody Harrelson as a charming comic relief mentalist creeping into everyone’s minds. Woody’s Merritt McKinney is, by far, the coolest cog in the wheel. But once each score is done we’re left with duped agent Rhodes lost in a perpetual cat and mouse maze.<br /> <br /> Along with an exposition-spouting Morgan Freeman, whose act is to debunk all magicians, you’ll be guessing through each step: although the actual stage shows are downright preposterous unless you put this movie in the Science Fiction category. And to bring the cerebral mind games down to earth there’s a prolonged fistfight and car chase leading to a giant twist ending too complicated for its own good, over-explaining the ultimate ruse and making everything (and everyone) seem simplistically sleight of hand in comparison.

2013, jesse eisenberg, mark ruffalo, michael caine, morgan freeman, thriller, woody harrelson

NOW YOU SEE ME

year: 2013 cast: Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine  rating: *** Perhaps NOW YOU DON’T, the sec...

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxlr20VUDO9s1ha7E4j7TmmSSlUxB-WdL-A3VwvEMLHuATiKFAWYCBNMnVpEbhz_l_58rcPODOYz968JShH0fUYFozPnNr81nX4zpmHzDwKibjGKlHo1cfX3L6Jae78n5KRufvgSSfDx7/s1600/olympus-has-fallen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxlr20VUDO9s1ha7E4j7TmmSSlUxB-WdL-A3VwvEMLHuATiKFAWYCBNMnVpEbhz_l_58rcPODOYz968JShH0fUYFozPnNr81nX4zpmHzDwKibjGKlHo1cfX3L6Jae78n5KRufvgSSfDx7/s640/olympus-has-fallen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2013 <b>cast:</b> Gerard Bulter, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Robert Forster <b>rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Beginning with a successful yet ultimately tragic rescue of the President of the United States, resulting in the death of his wife into an icy lake, his number one Secret Service agent and chief decision maker Mike Banning is laying low in Washington, sadly remembering the good old days. Meanwhile President Asher, played by Aaron Eckhart, has an important meeting about North Korea and his young son misses mom, and even more so, Gerard Butler’s Manning, who was sort of a big brother and/or cool uncle through the years.<br /> <br /> The word Olympus refers to the White House, and with a blasting of jet planes soaring through the blue skies of Washington D.C., followed by nefarious terrorist ground troops moving in, the White House is penetrated while the Prez himself, along with his Veep and a few others, go down to a secret safe room – which doesn’t remain secret or safe for long.<br /> <br /> This initial all-out attack/invasion, the second action sequence following the first lady’s demise, is both exciting and involving, without the use of too many shaky cameras. The important thing, though, is that Banning (Butler) manages to get inside the now dilapidated White House interior. All the while, a villainous Korean “mastermind” named Kang has the President hostage, blowing away most of his important underlings to prove he means business. <br /> <br /> All the bombastic acrobatics aside, with violence bordering on a gratuitous level and sporadic cuts to a round table emergency session (which includes Morgan Freeman's Secretary of State), the good stuff has Butler making edgy ground throughout the White House, taking out the bad guys and attempting to rescue the President’s son.<br /> <br /> Heck, even a sweaty one-on-one fistfight against the main villain trumps the last minute attempt to avert an all-out nuclear war, proving that a good old fashion muscular hero is worth his weight in action genre gold, or in this case, solid bronze.

2013, aaron eckhart, action, gerard butler, morgan freeman, robert forster

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

year: 2013 cast: Gerard Bulter, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Robert Forster rating: *** Beginning with a successful yet ultimately ...

TOM CRUISE IN OBLIVION

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8LAJ0wlIVhLa0BxhaVStmjx5PwpP_IpQbXEOfPpHPnvAxlWOVdFRXviL0mFO5EHvMOlVpwKVtaYcCfoIzfhTUbZqKaHXVl_Fwdb-NSRHI70xgZxOLACms-byIlyyixnmt3jFpoSj_7s/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8LAJ0wlIVhLa0BxhaVStmjx5PwpP_IpQbXEOfPpHPnvAxlWOVdFRXviL0mFO5EHvMOlVpwKVtaYcCfoIzfhTUbZqKaHXVl_Fwdb-NSRHI70xgZxOLACms-byIlyyixnmt3jFpoSj_7s/s640/images.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>year: 2013 cast: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Melissa Leo rating: **1/2</b></span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> Thankfully Tom Cruise, as Jack, repeats the backstory of OBLIVION somewhere in the middle section – it’s all part of an progressively intricate plot that gets a tad confusing when a new character is introduced into the contained vessel where Jack and his partner Victoria are a team sent to, as the description goes, “extract Earth's remaining resources.” This has to do with recovering and fixing damaged drone devices sent down to take out any rogue scavengers. And it all happened because some alien force blew up part of the moon, causing the elements to destroy most of the Earth.<br /> <br /> The drones are flying lethal orbs that only respond to Jack’s voice recognition. The coolest scenes are in the beginning as he either soars around in a space ship or rides a high-tech motorcycle, putting the irritable machines back into working order. Then the plot thickens when one of the drones almost kills Jack, who eventually discovers survivors in the murky underground, led by Morgan Freeman’s wise and/or evil old man, Beech.<br /> <br /> It wouldn’t be fair to delve any further into the storyline since so much relies on tricks and turns and, of course, that important element all films post M. Night and LOST have to acquire: the twist ending or in this particular case, several twist middles, turning an exploration based sci-fi into a Film Noirish love story: the main character risks everything to help a damsel in distress, who, with a few secrets of her own, shuffles the deck even more. <br /> <br /> That’s when things get clunky and the inevitable final battle (the first of two climaxes), involving a horde of hell bent drones, is a more expensive, digitalized version of the MAD MAX universe. And this isn't the first cinematic deja vu: the main setup, of a “worker” cleaning up after an abandoned Earth, borrows from Pixar’s computer animated WALL-E... And we won’t take away any more points for unoriginality, but rather, for throwing too many cooks into the mix – all with very similar results.

2013, action, morgan freeman, science fiction, tom cruise

TOM CRUISE IN OBLIVION

year: 2013 cast: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Melissa Leo rating: **1/2 Thankfully Tom Cruise, as Jack, repeats the b...

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gUvBVxtd42OaXsAFD_xQKB5nMlZQ0WIaoKZsZ4RxjIMb4S1vhFC-PJpv8EAuNxP3izUMA_IVWL1it49x2MacmtIvlqnqnqr65gCzw4wmg5OMIrKuYgd1pC1ZTkpE_n373qlCKiNGQGIX/s1600/dark-knight-rises-promo-poster-bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gUvBVxtd42OaXsAFD_xQKB5nMlZQ0WIaoKZsZ4RxjIMb4S1vhFC-PJpv8EAuNxP3izUMA_IVWL1it49x2MacmtIvlqnqnqr65gCzw4wmg5OMIrKuYgd1pC1ZTkpE_n373qlCKiNGQGIX/s640/dark-knight-rises-promo-poster-bat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2012 <b>cast:</b> Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt <b>rating:</b> **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> As we begin our story, the final of the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy, Alfred the Butler could kick Bruce Wayne’s ass. The reclusive millionaire has a bad leg and the energy of road kill – it’s been seven years like this.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, a new villain has emerged. A muscular Bane, resembling a masked professional wrestler and sounding like Sean Connery speaking through a Darth Vader voice box, isn’t very happy. Gotham, after all, has a lot of rich people… including those stock market wheeler-dealers… and he wants to set things straight.<br /> <br /> While Nolan’s BATMAN BEGINS had a murky Film Noir vibe, and his blockbuster THE DARK KNIGHT threw just about everything into a high octane stew, RISES, during the first half, is much more subtle, reminiscent of those cerebral disaster films such as BLACK SUNDAY wherein terrorists hold a city hostage; or perhaps even a James Bond movie.<br /> <br /> As Bane makes surly demands on the rich and powerful wielding a nuclear threat, the only thing missing is a purring lap cat. Not to be confused with Anne Hathaway’s cunningly agile Cat Woman, making a much worthier antagonist for Wayne, who finally, after much brooding, kicks into gear. But after a pivotal CGI disaster scene at a football game, Wayne’s imprisoned during a long and plodding final act.<br /> <br /> Even the eventual fistfight between Bane and Batman is quick and underwhelming. Then again, so is the Dark Knight – he’s hardly in the film at all, having little to do with the action once the stakes are raised.<br /> <br /> It’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Blake, a good cop practically alone in his struggle to save Gotham, who really shines. For the most part this seems more like Batman’s decline and Blake’s… or rather, Robin’s… rise.

action, ann hathaway, christian bale, franchise, joseph gordon-levitt, matthew modine, michael caine, morgan freeman, sequel, superhero

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

year: 2012 cast: Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt rating: **1/2 As we begin our story, the final of the Christopher Nolan Batman T...

DOLPHIN TALE

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCAVJdg4hWC66QURIlTHJbgADdBpgvhpjq_49sQAsQO8gnpusyfgF3xVRjOo_WPojPjgis_FSFjtq4ccy95s5bXABq6cqywfxoeqERoN9NF9RxusIZ2ol6ODYbR2yKF1GztZ3L7yQhyphenhyphenHf/s1600/dolphin_tale1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656731083569524418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCAVJdg4hWC66QURIlTHJbgADdBpgvhpjq_49sQAsQO8gnpusyfgF3xVRjOo_WPojPjgis_FSFjtq4ccy95s5bXABq6cqywfxoeqERoN9NF9RxusIZ2ol6ODYbR2yKF1GztZ3L7yQhyphenhyphenHf/s200/dolphin_tale1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 170px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>DOLPHIN TALE<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2011<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Nathan Gamble, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>**1/2<br /> <br /> <div></div><div>The biggest problem with this movie… about an injured dolphin that’s rescued and given a prosthetic tail… is the dolphin itself, played by real life “Winter,” is hardly around. Inspired by a true story, the main character is a child actor straight out of FREE WILLY. He not only helped rescue Winter, but is the only human being that the dolphin really responds with. Much of the film centers on the kid, his family – which includes a single mother and an athletic cousin wounded in battle – and the aquatic caretakers, headed by Henry Connick Jr. and his young daughter. Things drag along till the kid meets Morgan Freeman while visiting his cousin at a Veteran’s Hospital. Freeman, who creates prosthetic limbs for wounded soldiers, is the man who gives the dolphin its new tail (several, in fact). Winter violently rejects all prototypes till the very ending: when it all comes down to the line. Directed by AMERICAN GRAFFITI alumni Charles Martin Smith, this is more melodrama than adventure, but flows decently enough and most importantly, children will take interest.</div>

morgan freeman, tens

DOLPHIN TALE

title: DOLPHIN TALE year: 2011 cast: Nathan Gamble, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick rating: **1/2 The biggest problem with...

RED

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKld6ELgE2KPsnk18Cu3zjaFBcecACN14zLY8fFbtvsdLcZXkli1QV66bRwktTXiu_94F2XSYqrXrm_u_ugaU20q-OpwT8X14FC-SBix8GEZbQ4UQ9hFFZzO1NsFf6LYDhAz4TqvC9pfY/s1600/RED.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568435304820374290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKld6ELgE2KPsnk18Cu3zjaFBcecACN14zLY8fFbtvsdLcZXkli1QV66bRwktTXiu_94F2XSYqrXrm_u_ugaU20q-OpwT8X14FC-SBix8GEZbQ4UQ9hFFZzO1NsFf6LYDhAz4TqvC9pfY/s200/RED.jpg" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 122px; float: right; height: 200px;" /></a><strong>title:</strong> RED<br /><strong>year:</strong> 2010<br /><strong>cast:</strong> Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren<br /><strong>rating:</strong> ***<br /><br />For anyone who says there's too much over-the-top, unrealistic action involving characters more like superheroes than humans, another can say, "But this is a comedy satirizing bombastic action films." And for those who say it isn't very funny, a response could be, "But it kicks ass." Well it does kick ass, but the characters are introduced as if we already know them: giving the feel of an anticipated sequel with people who already earned their stature, so there's not much development. Bruce Willis is good doing his usual, but he's hindered by love interest Mary-Louise Parker, playing the reluctant "I can't believe I'm in this situation" love-interest to an exasperatingly annoying level. John Malkovich, channeling Murdoch from THE A-TEAM, tries too hard as the comic relief; Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren are way too endearing; Karl Urban makes a fine antagonist, but an old pudgy Richard Dreyfuss is misplaced as the main villain. And although there are terrific moments within, the entirety doesn't always gel: feeling like a spectacular highlights show of a big game... Yet the <em>plays </em>that work, do work well.

action, blockbuster, bruce willis, helen mirren, john malkovich, morgan freeman, tens

RED

title: RED year: 2010 cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren rating: *** For anyone who says there's too m...