FilmWeViews.com » Action Adventure

Bullitt

GroovyMovieGuy — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:21:10 +0000

Let’s face it, folks, the experimental’60s pushed the boundaries to make some terrible movies. Not this time, though. This is the real thing. A compelling story, solid acting and a car chase that set the bar for all that would follow.
Steve McQueen at his prime plays a San Francisco cop trying to track down the killer of a witness who died while under his protection. He butts heads with the ambitious politician — portrayed by Robert Vaughn (remember Napoleon Solo in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”) — who set up the assignment. Look for Jacqueline Bisset as Bulitt’s girlfriend, Robert Duvall as a cab driver, and Norman Fell and Vic Tayback in small roles.
McQueen does his own driving in the famous car chase through the streets of San Francisco, where the cars topped 100 mph speeds and hills like roller coasters off their tracks. The duel between the drivers and their Ford Mustang and Dodge Charger is epic. It’s highly doubtful the city will ever let a film crew shoot a chase like this again. (114 min.)

Rated PG - 1968

Director:
Peter Yates

Starring:
Steve McQueen
Robert Vaughn
Jacqueline Bisset
Don Gordon
Robert Duvall
Simon Oakland
Norman Fell
Georg Stanford Brown
Justin Tarr
Carl Reindel
Felice Orlandi
Vic Tayback
Robert Lipton
Ed Peck
Pat Renella

Writers:
Alan R. Trustman
Harry Kleiner

Man on Fire

GroovyMovieGuy — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:52:04 +0000

Denzel Washington is in top form as the lead in this gritty thriller set in Mexico. Washington plays Creasy, a former federal agent protecting a child (Dakota Fanning) who is kidnapped under Creasy’s watch. The reluctant protector who grew close to his charge will now do anything to save her.
The film uses graphic violence and grainy cinematography to tell this compelling story that can be difficult to watch at times. (146 min.)

Rated R - 2004

Starring:
Denzel Washington
Dakota Fanning
Marc Anthony
Radha Mitchell
Christopher Walken
Giancarlo Giannini
Rachel Ticotin
Jesus Ochoa
Mickey Rourke
Angelina Pelaez
Gustavo Sanchez Parra
Gero Camilo
Rosa Maria Hernandez
Heriberto Del Castillo
Mario Zaragoza

Director:
Tony Scott

Writers:
A.J. Quinnell (novel)
Brian Helgeland (screenplay)

Team America: World Police

GroovyMovieGuy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:01:39 +0000

Team America: World Police, Unrated, f* yeah!
Southpark creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with co-writer, Pam Brady, skewer everyone from the left to the right and take on international terrorists too. This puppet-powered full-length action/comedy feature blasts Americans who toe the party line and terrorists who wouldn’t know a party if their turban turned into a lampshade.
Always pushing the envelope, an extended scene featuring sick puppet sex – yes I said sick – goes where Pinocchio never went before.
Should you see it? If you’re not easily offended, I say, “F* yeah!” (Unrated version viewed) (98 min.)

Rated R - 2004

Director:
Trey Parker

Starring:
Trey Parker
Matt Stone
Kristen Miller
Masasa Moyo
Daran Norris
Phil Hendrie
Maurice LaMarche
Fred Tatasciore

Writers:
Trey Parker
Matt Stone

Team America: World Police

movieMoll — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:14:18 +0000

Premise: Politically incorrect puppet super heroes destroy Paris and save the world.
Fans of South Park may be disappointed. Ditto for fans of Alec Baldwin and Matt Damon. The film seeks to offend everyone, as does South Park, but overall it’s not nearly as funny.
The first 30 minutes of “Team America: World Police” were slow. There were some payoffs for those with patience. Kim Jong Il, who oddly enough looked a lot like Edward G. Robinson to me, was the highlight of the movie. His Elmer Fudd-like voice and oversized glasses made this pint-sized, ruthless, egomaniacal dictator almost endearing.
The puppet sex scene that vexed the MPAA ratings board when the movie was released lived up to the hype. The movie definitely earns its R rating. I’m wondering now if Barbie and Ken really were doing it in her Malibu beach house, despite Ken’s anatomical shortcomings. The endless vomit scene could have been edited or omitted all together as far as I’m concerned. (Unrated version viewed) (98 min.)

Rated R - 2004

Director:
Trey Parker

Starring:
Trey Parker
Matt Stone
Kristen Miller
Masasa Moyo
Daran Norris
Phil Hendrie
Maurice LaMarche
Fred Tatasciore

Writers:
Trey Parker
Matt Stone

Tropic Thunder

GroovyMovieGuy — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:40:07 +0000

Blah, blah, blah. Hollywood making a statement about Hollywood. Who gives a rat’s ass. And they didn’t even go “full retard.” (Stop whining about that statement. Watch the movie and you’ll understand.) The best part of “Tropic Thunder” is Robert Downey Jr. who is the only actor who could pull off being a dude, playing a dude, playing a dude. I actually saw the movie by accident, thinking I was going to see “Pineapple Express.” Don’t miss it — “Pineapple Express” that is. (107 min.)

Rated R - 2008

Starring:
Ben Stiller
Jack Black
Robert Downey Jr.
Nick Nolte
Steve Coogan
Jay Baruchel
Danny R. McBride
Brandon T. Jackson
Bill Hader
Brandon Soo Hoo
Reggie Lee
Trieu Tran
Matthew McConaughey
Tom Cruise

Director:
Ben Stiller

Writers:
Ben Stiller (story and screenplay)
Justin Theroux (story and screenplay)
Etan Cohen (screenplay)

Watchmen

GroovyMovieGuy — Sun, 10 May 2009 03:58:29 +0000

It’s the story of babe, the big blue ox and their cohort of costumed vigilantes. The babe being Silk Spectre II, her boyfriend Dr. Manhattan as the big blue ox, and other alter egos such as Ozymandias, Rorschach, The Comedian and Nite Owl II.
“Watchmen” takes the 1980s’ series of gritty graphic novels by the same name to the big screen. The characters are not super heroes giving their all to save the world and the American way; they’re complex people, some trying to be good scouts, some getting their kicks while kicking the butts of lawless citizens. This ambiguity of purpose is well expressed by the tag line “Who’s watching the Watchmen?”
A different kind of morality play, “Watchmen” liberally uses graphic violence and sex as a storytelling tool. Some of which became as much weird as gratuitous, especially in the curious case of Dr. Manhattan. Given special powers by a nuclear accident, he spends most of the movie as a giant blue nude man. A totally nude man moving to and fro…
Leaving the theater I was left with the feeling that the movie was a little long but okay. I collected and read the graphic novels as they were being released originally and although I don’t remember them that well, they were much more compelling in telling the story through words and imagery. Now available as a single volume, the original graphic novel is groundbreaking literature and art; the movie, not so much. (162 min.)

Rated R - 2009

Director:
Zack Snyder

Starring:
Malin Akerman
Billy Crudup
Matthew Goode
Jackie Earle Haley
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Patrick Wilson
Carla Gugino
Matt Frewer
Stephen McHattie
Laura Mennell

Writers:
David Hayter (screenplay)
Alex Tse (screenplay)
Dave Gibbons (graphic novel illustrator)
Alan Moore (graphic novel) uncredited

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

GroovyMovieGuy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:27:10 +0000

With a cover shot of Adam Sandler’s crotch prominently displayed, who knew the unrated version of “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” would feature so much of his (or a double’s) exposed back side? While you don’t mess with this kung-fu like master Israeli warrior, he messes with quite a few women past a certain age. That’s after becoming the hottest hairdresser in New York City.
In the end, this bizarre crotch-grinding “morality play” has Jewish and Palestinian New Yorkers finding enough common ground to give peace a chance.
I’ve got to stop watching these extended version movies, because they do seem to go on. The bonus features seemed to last as long as the movie. However, the segments featuring director Dennis Dugan (who also played the homeless guy in his undies) were entertaining and make me think he would be a great dinner guest, but probably not house guest.
One-disc extended version/unrated version watched (117 minutes)

Rated PG-13 - 2008

Starring:
Adam Sandler
John Turturro
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Nick Swardson
Lainie Kazan
Ido Mosseri
Rob Schneider
Dave Matthews
Michael Buffer
Charlotte Rae
Keana Texeira
Sayed Badreya
Daoud Heidami
Kevin Nealon
Robert Smigel
Dina Doron
Shelly Berman
Chris Rock
Mariah Carey
John McEnroe
George Takei
Bruce Vilanch
John Paul DeJoria
Henry Winkler

Director:
Dennis Dugan

Writers:
Adam Sandler
Robert Smigel
Judd Apatow

You Don’t Mess With the Zohan

movieMoll — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:53:56 +0000

My advice is “don’t bother with the Zohan.” I admit that Adam Sandler movies are hit or miss for me. If you enjoyed “Waterboy,” you’ll probably like Zohan. My favorite Sandler film is “The Wedding Singer.”
There are a few really good laughs in “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” — the story of a super Israeli Special Forces agent who fakes his own death to become a hairdresser in New York. There’s also a lot of dead space and a lot of repetition, hammering the same hackneyed crotch jokes over and over. The movie lacks the charm and sweetness of Sandler’s best movies. It also fails to be consistently funny. It’s hard to believe that Sandler, with writing help from Judd Apatow, couldn’t have made a better film. (113 min.)
One-disc extended version/unrated version (117 minutes)

Rated PG-13 - 2008

Director:
Dennis Dugan

Writers:
Adam Sandler
Robert Smigel
Judd Apatow