During the various debates on the issue of torture and its effectiveness in eliciting useful information to prevent impending terrorist attacks, the question of the ticking time bomb was often raised. Would you torture to prevent the the use of a nuclear bomb in an American city? Well, that is the central issue raised in the film that is the subject of this review, the suspense thriller Unthinkable. Read the full story

For my fourth movie in my review of the Mel Brooks Collection, I selected High Anxiety, Mr. Brooks’ loving spoof of Alfred Hitchcock movies.  Although I admire Mr. Hitchcock’s work, I can honestly admit it has been a few decades since I last saw one of his films (The Birds).

One challenge I anticipated with High Anxiety is that certain subjects like murder and suspense do not work well in comedy (like in Have you Heard About the Morgans).  Truly, the only way to make a thriller work with humour is to go way, way, way over the top, much like in the Police Squad series of movies.

However, my pleasant surprise at the quality of To Be Or Not To Be left me with some anticipation that this movie may also surprise me with its wit and charm. Read the full story

There are some shall I call them “suspense thrillers” that are good for only one viewing. Once you know the ending and how the plot twists are resolved, the film is spoiled for subsequent viewing. There are other suspense thrillers that are great no matter how many times you view them as you are continually pulled into the narrative by superior film making, whether you know the ending or not. One of the latter types of suspense thrillers is the subject of this review, The Illusionist. Read the full story

Normally in my opening paragraph, I discuss my impressions of the film, possibly rekindle some old memories, and leave the reader with a question about the worthiness of the movie.  In my review for Shutter Island I am skipping this pretense.  If you like psychological thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, go buy this movie.  If you appreciate a haunting score that is as much a character as the actors, go buy this movie.  If you love to see films that are not made, but instead crafted, go buy this movie. Read the full story

It has been since 2002 that Mel Gibson has had a starring role in a film. Rather than disappearing from view. Mr. Gibson has been active behind the camera. producing and directing two notable and controversial films Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto. However, Mel Gibson decided to make a return to the silver screen in the subject of today’s review Edge of Darkness. Mr. Gibson had previously indicated publicly that he would only return to the screen for a film that had an incredible script. Given that he has chosen Edge of Darkness as his returning vehicle, one can only assume that he thought it to be just such a script? Was he right? Read the full story

It is actually quite funny how often one would see Harrison Ford’s visage staring at them from a movie poster or a DVD cover during the late 90’s or early 2000’s.  Clear and Present Danger, The Devil’s Own, Air Force One, Random Hearts, and K-19: The Widowmaker all have a stern Mr. Ford affixing his steely glance on us from the poster/box art.

In many ways, I believe this is why I and many others overlooked this movie during its original release in 2002.  As a viewing audience, I believe we had hit our “Harrison Ford” and “Tom Clancy” saturation point by 2002, and a quick glace at the movie poster or DVD cover gave little indication that it was anything other than another movie of this genre.  That the movie had such a poor title likely didn’t add to its appeal, and it was ultimately a financial mess, failing to recoup its $100 million production budget. Read the full story

One of the unfortunate staple’s of the 90’s was quasi-erotic thrillers that had threadbare plots and story and tried to rely on the philosophy of ‘sex sells’. Of course the reason these films were popular was that the philosophy held true, thus an influx of these films poured in for our poor eye’s to see… Jade is no exception and unless there’s some amazing picture and audio quality to show off our home theater systems, then there’s simply no need to see it… Does Lionsgate pull off a save with one of its lesser known catalog releases?

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It is not often that one sees a movie as divisive as The Lovely Bones.  Criticism has focused on the subject matter, its presentation, the CGI, and Peter Jackson’s treatment of Alice Sebold’s book.  Others have praised the tenderness that was used in the treatment of the subject, how it was handled with real emotional intelligence, and the quality of the cast. Read the full story

Half a century ago seems like a long time; but it was around that time that one of Hollywood’s most gifted and eccentric directors was in his prime; making classic films that would set the stage for today’s filmmakers. Alfred Hitchcock was one the kind of director that doesn’t really exist anymore; similar to Orson Welles, his films were carefully crafted masterpieces that were so layered that even today there are countless books and websites dedicated to analyzing his works. North by Northwest was screenwriter, Ernest Lehman’s attempt to create the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures, did he succeed? Read the full story

Angel Heart was a great representation of neo-noir, however it’s also a film that weds both horror and mystery together in a way that is both unique and very entertaining. Showcasing Mickey Rourke’s young talent and having one of De Niro’s more eclectic performances, does Angel Heart rise above the abundant horror thrillers of its time or does it go over the top? Lets see… Read the full story

Often times, turning an extremely popular book into a film is a daunting task. The book is often times filled with so much detail that to include most of it will lead to a rather slow and ponderous film. I am amazed at how well they have been able to translate the Harry Potter books into so many successful films given how dense the books are. Another author of extremely dense books is Dan Brown. Read the full story

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a remake of the 1974 film that starred Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw based on the 1973 novel by Morton Freedgood under the name John Godey. The title of the novel and films comes from the identity of the train which is the subject of the heist and ransom. it is the subway train leaving Pelham, New York at 1:23 p.m., hence the name Pelham 123. The 2009 incarnation of the film directed by Tony Scott is billed as an action -packed thriller and stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Those of you who actually saw the original film as I did a long time ago, probably don’t recall the film as an action packed thriller and for good reason, it wasn’t. The original film was a thriller but based mostly on the dialogue between the two lead characters. Given the advancements in film making, The Taking of Pelham 123 seemed like a very logical choice for some 21st Century updating. And the result? Well, read on. Read the full story

There is one particular movie that must have flown under my radar when it was out in theaters.  When I saw that The Siege originally came out in 1998, I was really surprised as to how I missed this one.  I’d like to say “Let me be the first to tell you…” something about this film but at 11 years old, I think most folks have come across this title before.  With an all-star cast of Denzel Washington, Annette Benning and Bruce Willis, how could anyone miss (beside me, of course)? Read the full story

Having just experienced two 10+ hour plane flights in the past two weeks, I sure have had my fill of bad films. When you are on flights of that duration and have a hard time sleeping on planes like I do,you will watch almost anything to help pass the time. Most of that time on this trip was filled with bad films a couple of which I may review when they arrive on Blu-ray in the next couple of months. It was therefore a pleasure once I returned home, to pop in State of Play, a well written and acted thriller that I enjoyed immensely, making up for all the bad films I watched on those flights, well almost. Read the full story

The Cell 2 is the direct to video sequel of the 2000 film of the same name. While the plot somewhat mirrors the original the characters and ideas are mostly fresh. I must admit; while the original film failed to deliver in the overall sense of the word I always had a thing for the unique plot. Some of the visuals in the aforementioned film have really stuck in my mind and the concept as well. While ultimately I found the film to be a disappointment I look forward to seeing the sequel albeit a direct to video I find myself questioning its production value. But I have been surprised before, and I hope that The Cell 2 can deliver where the original failed, already I can guess it will trump the original as the lack of Jennifer Lopez’s name on the credits! Read the full story

It seems that lately horror and thriller films have taken a turn to bloodying up the technological things we so often take for granted. From phones to internet connections; the things we so frequently use naively are intended to simplify life by enhancing our ability to communicate, however can be used for evil! While the concepts of such films in the past have completely lacked any sincerity in identifying our calamitous dependence for all things technology perhaps Elsewhere can provide some palpable social commentary. But I’m leaning towards Elsewhere averting any perceptive form of exploring societies misuse of social networking in place of sexual situations, violence, and tacky dialogue. Read the full story

The Deep is one of those films that is probably better know and more famous for the appearance of the lead actress in the film rather than a the quality of the film itself. Those of you like yours truly who were teenagers when the film arrived in theaters know exactly what I am talking about, namely the stunning visuals of Jacqueline Bisset underwater in that tight white top! The Deep has now made its high def debut on Blu-ray. How does it and more importantly, Jacqueline Bisset look? Pretty darn good! Read the full story