“2012”

What is it with Roland Emmerich’s doomsday obsession? After “Independence Day,” where aliens try to destroy civilization, and “The Day After Tomorrow,” where climate change gets a crack, he looks to the Mayan calendar to predict and entertain us with the end of the world. (Which, I hope you know by now, is an inaccurate interpretation. So keep saving for your retirement.) In true Emmerich fashion, there are lots of explosions and crazy huge special effects. There's a good deal of sermonizing about “Humanity” and “Civilization,” especially at those pivotal moments. And then there are the laughs, unintentional of course, as all mayhem breaks loose. I just found it preposterous how John Cusack, who's been making some curious role choices of late, manages to narrowly escape death by running, driving and flying while the earth is crumbling, buildings are falling and fireballs are exploding. And you don’t have to be a clairvoyant to see how it ends. You know exactly how “2012” is going, with the exception of a neat twist that allows our heroes to reach China despite the fact that they’ve run out of fuel. So If you can switch off the logic center of your brain “2012” is a moderately enjoyable popcorn movie. But even among Emmerich's catalog, it’s not one of the best. My tweet: 2012-After failing to destroy earth by alien invasion & ice age, Roland Emmerich looks to the Mayans for ideas. 3rd time's not the charm. 5 (out of 10).

Another end-of-the-world movie you might enjoy: “Knowing”

“2012”

Released: 2009

Rating: PG-13

Length: 158 minutes

Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson

Director: Roland Emmerich

Genre(s): Action, Sci-fi, Thriller

“The Taking of Pelham 123” (2009)

The basic premise is the same, but director Tony Scott rachets up the noise, violence and cutting tempo in this remake of the 1974 thriller. In this outing, John Travolta, suffering from a bad case of Al Pacino syndrome, emotes his way through the subway hijacking, while Denzel Washington keeps his cool as the dispatcher on the other end on the line. “The Taking of Pelham 123” ends like the original with them getting the bad guy. But it’s all brawn and no brain. And even the reason for the hijacking is convoluted. Without giving up too much, it made me wonder why Travolta didn’t just hire someone to do it for him. Maybe someone who’s a better actor. My Tweet: The Taking of Pelham 123-After they took the Pelham One Two Three in 1974, the Transit Authority should have beefed up security. 6.5 (out of 10)

To see it done old school, here’s the trailer for “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.

“The Taking of Pelham 123”

Released: 2009

Rating: R

Length: 106 minutes

Cast: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, John Turturro

Director: Tony Scott

Genre(s): Adaptation, Action, Thriller

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

Because of all the bad press this movie got, the fact that it didn’t completely stink was a surprise. While this is far from a rousing endorsement, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is far from a complete waste of time. As the title implies, it tells the backstory of one of Marvel Comics’ and the X-Men movie franchise’s most popular characters. And if you’re interested in Logan’s (Hugh Jackman) strained relationship with his brother, Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), how he got his adamantium claws, the reasoning behind Stryker’s (Danny Huston) mutant experiments and meeting a few more mutants, it’s worth a look. But it’s mostly Jackman snarling and snorting his way through a trail of dead bodies and exploding real estate. The formulaic violence makes the movie feel more like a vigilante flick from the 1970s. It also lacks the hip sensibility of “Iron Man” or Gothic moodiness of “The Dark Knight.” So unless you’re one of Stan Lee’s “true believers,” I’d skip this one. My Tweet: X-Men Origins: Wolverine-A case study in how not to handle an individual with unresolved anger-management issues. 6 (out of 10)

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

Released: 2009

Rating: PG-13

Length: 107 minutes

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber

Director: Gavin Hood

Genre(s): Adaptation, Adventure, Action

“The Hunting Party”

Start with a war-torn countryside, add a dash of satire, a little action and a pinch of sermonizing and you’ll have “The Hunting Party.” This not quite fully-baked mixture stars Richard Gere as Simon Hunt, a burnt-out war correspondent banished to Bosnia after suffering an on-air meltdown. Five years later, Hunt’s ex-cameraman “Duck” (Terrance Howard), who’s traded in the war zone for a network job, is back in Bosnia to do a puff piece on the war’s end with Benjamin Strauss (Jesse Eisenberg), a young reporter (and son of the network’s V.P.). Hunt entices Duck by claiming he’s after an interview with a notorious war criminal known as the Fox (Ljubomir Kerekes). It’s not until the three of them are in the thick of it that Hunt reveals his true intention. My tweet pretty much sums it up: The Hunting Party-Reporter Richard Gere realizes it’ll take more than a story to restart his career & goes after a war criminal instead. 6.5 (out of 10) The producers of “The Hunting Party” make a point of telling you this is a true story. Which may be because they had a hard time conjuring up believable characters. Hunt is the beaten-down, yet eternal, idealist, Duck is the corporate sellout trying to convince himself he isn’t and Strauss is the nervous newbie who surprises everyone by having a backbone. The movie has its moments, like this exchange when Hunt meets Strauss for the first time: “Benjamin, you look young enough to be someone important’s son.” But there aren't enough of those moments to lift this movie. Bottom line: it’s an okay flick but you can do better.  

Another Richard Gere movie you might like: “The Hoax”

“The Hunting Party”

Released: 2007

Rating: R

Length: 104 minutes

Cast: Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg

Director: Richard Shepard

Genre(s): Adaptation, Comedy, Action

“X-men 3: The Last Stand”

My tweet: X-Men 3: The Last Stand-While Bryan Singer is minding the Superman franchise, Magneto and Brett Ratner make a mess of things. 7 (out of 10) Brett Ratner, who took the helm while Brian Singer was directing “Superman Returns,” must be from the “too much of a good thing still isn’t enough” school of directing. Because in “X-men 3: The Last Stand” he piles it on. “The Last Stand” is bigger and louder than the first two X-men films, and has more characters than you can count. It also has two storylines: one involving a “cure” for mutants, derived from the DNA of a mutant boy and another about the resurrection of Jean Gray (Famke Janssen), who died at the end of the X-men 2. Needless to say, the mutants are split about the cure and Jean is now Phoenix with unimaginable, and uncontrollable, powers. These two stories collide in a effects-laden battle between the Brotherhood, led by Magneto (Ian McKellen) and the humans, with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry) and the X-men providing support. But it’s all pretty much expected by now. So while “The Last Stand” may surpass the prior installments in pyrotechnics, unfortunately it comes up short on satisfaction. I’d recommend either one of the first two.

“X-men 3: The Last Stand”

Released: 2006

Rating: PG-13

Length: 105 minutes

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn

Director: Brett Ratner

Genre(s): Adventure, Sequel, Action

“The Karate Kid”

I recently saw the trailer for the remake with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. So I thought I’d take another look at the original. “The Karate Kid,” for those who haven’t seen it, is a teenage version of “Rocky.” And for those who haven’t seen “Rocky,” it’s a story about an athlete who overcomes great odds because of his heart. (Director John Avildsen was behind both.) In “The Karate Kid,” Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is a New Jersey native who relocates to the suburbs of L.A. and is almost immediately an outcast. He also makes the mistake of falling for a cute blond (Elisabeth Shue) who happens to be the girlfriend of the local teen karate champ, Johnny (William Zabka). As a result, Daniel ends up on the wrong side of Johnny and his buddies from the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel’s luck changes when, after a particularly bad beating at the hands of Johnny, Mr. Miyagi, (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) his building’s handyman, agrees to teach him karate. Unknown to Daniel, his first lessons involve performing maintenance work around Miyagi’s house, like waxing the cars and painting the fence. Miyagi never lets on that these chores are about building character as much as muscle memory. And once Miyagi reveals that these slow, laborious tasks have a purpose, Daniel’s attitude, and the pace of the movie picks up. We move onto the obligatory training scene (accompanied by mystical Asian-style music) followed by the main event – a face-off between Daniel and Johnny in the final round of a karate competition (accompanied by a power-rock anthem). Now I must confess that everything I know about karate comes from movies, so I could be wrong. But I wonder how far Daniel would actually get in a competition. I can see how the simple motions (like “wax on, wax off”) can translate into defensive moves. But how effective would they really be? And how, in a matter of weeks, could Daniel be ready to compete at such a level? In the end, though, reality doesn’t really matter because you’re along for the ride. “The Karate Kid” also benefits from the believable (surrogate) father-son relationship between Daniel and Miyagi, and a message about learning coming from unexpected places. (Which inspired my tweet: The Karate Kid-Teenager learns karate by performing household chores. And all I mastered with my Sensei was “mow lawn” & “take out trash.” 8 (out of 10) “The Karate Kid” is a good feel-good movie, especially for family viewing. For nostalgia fans, it’s also a bit of a mid-’80s time capsule. Look for Johnny in his Michael Jackson “Beat It” red leather jacket and the Cindy Lauper “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” hairstyles. Those two things alone could have been the reason for greenlighting the remake.

“The Karate Kid”

Released: 1984

Rating: PG

Length: 126 minutes

Cast: Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove

Director: John Avildsen

Genre(s): Drama, Action, Sports

“Knowing”

Now that “2012” has been released there has been a lot of buzz about end of the world movies like “War of the Worlds,” “Armageddon” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” “Knowing” is another one to add to the list. This one’s a little difference because of its a cryptic, spooky, sci-fi storyline that revolves around a 50-year-old time capsule dug up at an elementary school. One student’s time-capsule entry, a page filled with seemingly random numbers, ends up in the hands of MIT astronomy professor John Koestler, (Nicholas Cage). He deciphers the code and discovers that the list has predicted man-made and natural disasters for the last 50 years. So while Koestler is trying to contain himself (Cage kicks his natural intensity into overdrive here), his son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury) is being stalked by a group of otherworldly men. “Knowing” is the kind of movie that will strain your willingness to suspend disbelief. But if you manage to get past that, it can be a fun popcorn movie. There’s a lot of action, surprises, and cool special effects, including a plane crash at Logan Airport, a subway car that careens through a station in New York City, alien spaceships and, of course, the end of the world. My tweet: Knowing-A page of numbers retrieved from a time capsule tells Nicholas Cage the future. Unfortunately, none of them match the lottery. 7 (out of 10)

“Knowing”

Released: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Length: 121 minutes

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Ben Mendelsohn, Adrienne Pickering

Director: Alex Proyas

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Supernatural

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”

Like a lot of married couples, John and Jane Smith (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) are trying to reignite the passion that’s evaporated from their quiet suburban lives. They’re even in counseling, which, from the looks of it, doesn’t seem to be helping. But the excitement returns once they discover they’re both professional assassins working for competing agencies with each other as the target. (What spices up a relationship better than a little gun play?) Feeling betrayed, John and Jane shoot up their home only to realize they can’t shoot each other. When their employers decide to finish the job, it brings John and Jane even closer. They finally open up and communicate, which includes some amusing revelations during a high-speed car chase in the neighbor’s minivan. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is a slick, sexy romp that rarely slows down and the heat between the two stars can make you understand the off-screen pyrotechnics that “Brangelina” set off. Which, of course, is the inspiration for my tweet: Mr. and Mrs. Smith-Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie are hired to kill each other. And in the end, Jennifer Aniston wants to kill them both. 7.5 (out of 10)

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”

Released: 2005

Rating: PG-13

Length: 120 minutes

Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn

Director: Doug Liman

Genre(s): Romance, Adventure, Action

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”

It’s not often that a sequel surpasses the original, but James Cameron’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” certainly does. The reason is that Cameron wisely decided not to rehash the hugely successful Terminator movie. He turned his nascent franchise on its ear by making the original T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) this film’s hero. This T-800 is sent back from the future to protect the teenage John Conner (Edward Furlong) from the shape-shifting T-1000 (Robert Patrick). In the process of rescuing mom Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) from a mental hospital and convincing Cyberdyne’s lead inventor Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) to destroy his work, the T-800 and John, forge an unlikely friendship. It almost takes on the air of a buddy film with John teaching the socially-awkward Terminator (He is an android, after all.) catchphrases like “Hasta la vista, baby” while the T-800 becomes the father figure John’s never had. Robert Patrick’s T-1000 is imposing because of his dogged determination and the serious expression he maintains throughout the film (Android, again). And the special effects still stand up today. There’s a sequel (a lackluster retread of this story, wisely not directed by Cameron) so you know that judgment day will still arrive. But that shouldn’t spoil the enjoyment of watching John, Sarah and the Terminator trying to keep the future from happening. My tweet about the Terminator turned Governor: Terminator 2: Judgment Day-Cyborg Arnold Schwarzenegger finds Robert Patrick’s T-1000 almost as challenging as the California legislature. 8.5 (out of 10)

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”

Released: 1991

Rating: R

Length: 139 minutes

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong

Director: James Cameron

Genre(s): Sequel, Action, Thriller

“Running Scared”

I usually find shoot ‘em up movies kind of dumb. (Just see my review of “Shoot ‘Em Up.”) But “Running Scared” is different. There are a lot of flying bullets and resulting blood. But there are also enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you interested. It opens with Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) careening down the street with a blood-covered boy in the passenger seat of his car, then abruptly cuts to a flashback of the events that led up to that moment. To make a long story short (and not give up too much) the boy, Oleg, (Cameron Bright) got his hands on a gun Gazelle, a mob henchman, was supposed to dispose of and used it to shoot his stepfather (Anzor Yugorsky), who just so happens to be the nephew of a Russian mob boss. When Oleg and the gun disappear. Gazelle desperately tries to find the gun in the world of pimps, hookers, pedophiles, crackheads and other assorted creatures of the night while he’s pursued by a crooked cop (Chazz Palminteri), his crew and the Russian mob. It’s a pretty wild ride. My tweet: Running Scared-Mobster Paul Walker’s frantic search for a cop-killer’s gun. A veritable travelogue of NJ’s less savory locales & locals. 7.5 (out of 10)

“Running Scared”

Released: 2006

Rating: R

Length: 122 minutes

Cast: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri

Director: Wayne Kramer

Genre(s): Drama, Action, Thriller

Short Take: "Shoot 'Em Up"

What I tweeted: Shoot 'Em Up-Title says it all. Paul Giamatti tries to shoot Clive Owen, who ends up shooting everyone else. Has more ammo than sense. 5.5 (out of 10)

What I thought: Bullets fly in this shoot ‘em up. Somehow Clive Owen saves a pregnant woman, delivers her baby and ends up in Paul Giamatti’s cross hairs. Giamatti’s performance is way over the top. So I guess he enjoyed himself. I really didn’t. If you’re looking for a Clive-Owen-as-midwife movie, I’d go with the much better “Children of Men.”

"Shoot 'Em Up"

Released: 2007

Rating: R

Length: 86 minutes

Cast: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci, Greg Bryk

Director: Michael Davis

Genre(s): Action, Thriller

Short Take: "Eagle Eye"

What I tweeted: Eagle Eye-Mysterious woman phones Shia LaBeouf & makes him do bad things. The strongest argument yet for being on the do-not-call list. 6 (out of 10)

What I thought: A popcorn movie from the Michael Bay school – lots of rapid-fire cuts, lots of explosions. The film is built on a well-worn plot device and much of the action defies logic. But if you’re in the mood from some mindless action, you could do lot worse.

"Eagle Eye"

Released: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Length: 118 minutes

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Azizi, Billy Bob Thornton

Director: D.J. Caruso

Genre(s): Drama

Enemy at the Gates: Unwelcome to Stalingrad

Here’s what I wrote on Twitter: Crack shot Jude Law leads the Russian welcoming committee sent to greet the Nazis in Stalingrad during WWII. 8.5 (out of 10) “Enemy at the Gates” is the story of Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law), a Russian sniper who played a key role in defending Stalingrad against the invading Nazis during World War II. In the beginning of the movie, it looks as though the Russians don’t have much of a chance. Their troops are headed for an almost certain death against the better armed and better trained Germans. And if the situation weren’t bad enough, the officers warn that if the men retreat, they will be shot. And many of them are. The pivotal scene occurs shortly after the first battle. As the dust clears and Zaitsev is hiding amongst the dead bodies, he’s handed a rifle by political officer Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) and proceeds to pick off five German officers with five perfect shots. Before you know it, Zaitsev is the poster child for the Russian forces and everyone is reading about his continued exploits – including the Germans, who send in Major König (Ed Harris), their top marksman to take out Zaitsev. Once König arrives the tension ratchets up considerably as the game of cat and mouse begins between König and Zaitsev, each man setting traps for the other and lying in wait. It’s just a matter of time before one of them slips up and the other draws blood. There’s also a love triangle between Danilov, Zaitzev and a female soldier (Rachel Weisz) in there. But it’s a minor distraction to the main event between the two shooters. Because in the end it’s not about Zaitsev getting the girl, it’s about him getting the Major.

"Enemy at the Gates"

Released: 2001

Rating: R

Length: 131 minutes

Cast: Jude Law, Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Genre(s): Drama, Adaptation, Adventure

The Top 8 DVD Reviews (so far): “The Dark Knight”

Article 1 of 8

To celebrate the first 100 TweeterFlix DVD reviews, I wanted to do a Top 10 List. But frankly, the field gets a little crowded after the first 8. Besides, everyone does Top 10’s. Here’s number 8 (so far):

The Dark Knight

A couple of personal friends complain about the rating I gave “The Dark Knight.” But you have to admit, Heath Ledger's performance is amazing. And Christian Bale’s not shabby either. Christopher Nolan really understands the dark sides of these characters. Compare his to Tim Burton’s. Michael Keaton’s Batman may have been disturbed, but Bale’s is dangerous. And Jack Nicholson was a cartoon character while Leger’s Joker had deep psychological issues. On Twitter, I wrote: Christian Bale's back as Christopher Nolan's brooding Batman-this time to be upstaged by Heath Ledger's brilliant Joker. 9 (out of 10)

Coming up next: “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”

“The Dark Knight”

Released: 2008

Rating: PG-13

Length: 153 minutes

Cast: Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine

Director: Christopher Nolan

Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Sequel

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Since everyone's talking about "The Talking of Pelham 1 2 3" with Denzel Washington and John Travolta, here's the trailer from the original “One Two Three” with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw to show you how they do it old school. My review from Twitter: Daring 1974 subway hijacking that inspired a copycat some 35 years later. Points for originality. 8 (out of 10)

"The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"

Released: 1974

Rating: R

Length: 124 minutes

Cast: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo

Director: Joseph Sargent

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Crime

The Dam Busters: What goes down...

My review of “The Dam Busters” on Twitter, Follow the bouncing bomb as it helps the Brits defeat the Germans in WWII. A little over earnest but no less fascinating. 8 (out of 10)

“The Dam Busters” was one of those movies that just showed up in my mailbox. I didn’t know what to expect. It was a pleasant surprise. Sure it’s got that earnest “let’s-win-it-for-the-allies” attitude. But unlike many WWII movies that celebrate the camaraderie and heroism, “The Dam Busters” is about the brains. In this case, Dr. Barnes Wallis, a determined inventor who insisted that he had a way to get bombs past the nets and mines protecting Germany’s dams. He would skip them across the surface of the water just like a rock skips across a pond. It was just crazy enough to work. And it did. Even still, it sounded so unbelievable I did some investigating and found this footage on YouTube.

Actual dam busters footage:

“The Dam Busters” movie trailer:

“The Dam Busters”

Released: 1955

Rating: NR

Length: 120 minutes

Cast: Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave, Ursula Jeans, Basil Sydney

Director: Michael Anderson

Genre(s): Drama, Adaption, Historical