Taken

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Plot: Kim Mills (Maggie Grace) gets kidnapped in Paris, drugged and forced into prostitution. Her father, Byran Mills (Liam Neeson) quickly jumps on a jet to track down the crooks. Bryan is a retired US government agent and general tough guy. He tears through Paris leaving a trail of bodies as he the plot leads from the kidnapper, to the white-slavery auctioneer, to the police and then to Kim's new harem master. 

Review: Once Kim is kidnapped, the movie shifts into high gear, and its all karate chops, chases and shooting. The action is comic-book style with Liam able to beat up a roomful of gangsters. The body count is high, but it is bloodless. Taken is reminiscent of a Daniel Craig Bond movie because there is spy action without electronic gimmicks. 

Liam Neeson gives a good nuanced performance with good facial acting, on the other hand, the Byran Mills character is almost a super-hero, so he is hard to portray realistically. 

This is a thriller, and the action is not completely believable. Of course, if you want a realistic movie, you should go see "Earth" instead. The two kidnap victims acted more like thirteen year olds than seventeen year old with their giggling, skipping and running, and physical enthusiasm, --- this was probably director Morel's intention, to make them seem helpless. 

Cast and crew:
Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace;  directed by Pierre Morel

Rating: 2.5 flasks


More:
Fast paced action that provides an amusing evening diversion

Earth - Disney Documentary

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Plot: This a giant nature video about animals all around the world. It hopscotches from animal to animal, from winter to summer, and from continent to continent. 

Review: This movie has some awe inspiring photography especially the scenes with thousands of birds or fish. The movie is disjointed as it travels across the world -- after all it tackles the whole "Earth" in just ninety minutes. A really inspiring score could have helped, but this score was only serviceable. 

My wife tells me that the polar bear walrus fight was in the Planet Earth TV series, so there is some repeat between the two. The producers say that they are distinct creations. 

I thought this was good for a while, but it got tiring, and I would have liked a story. Unlike some viewers, I did not think that there was too much narration. 

Cast and crew:
Narrated by James Earl Jones; Written and directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield  
Rating: 1.5 flasks


More: 
A better movie would have focused on part of the "Earth," not the whole thing. 

Even More:

You have to feel sorry for the Daddy Polar Bear.

Frozen River

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Plot: Frozen River is a drama about a single Mom, Ray Eddy played by Melissa Leo, who undertakes smuggling illegal aliens across a frozen river from Canada to the US in order to buy herself a new doublewide trailer-home. She is assisted by Lila Littlewolf, played by Misty Upham, and meets state cops and assorted criminals.

Review: This movie is too slow -- way too much time showing the scenery and allowing the mood to build. The two actresses, Leo and Upham, give us interesting characters that we want to follow. The dialog could have been less wooden. Charlie McDormott is the boy actor who plays Ray's son. His performance is important to the success of the movie as he tries to rein in Ray's schemes as well as take care of his younger brother. Ray and Melissa are both disfunctional women who are in trouble due to their husbands as well as their own weaknesses. 

Cast and crew:
Melissa Leo, Misty Upham; written and directed by Courtney Hunt
Rating: 2.0 flasks


More: 
The films is set in the Akwesasne Mohawk nation, but actually filmed elsewhere in New York state. The St. Lawerence river scenes were actually shot on a frozen lake.

Even more:

Better than most Sundance award-winning movies. 

State of Play

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Plot: Congressman Steve Collins' (Ben Affleck's) head researcher and mistress dies. Is it suicide? Is it murder? Drugs? Lust? Cover-up by Pointcorp (read Blackwater or Halliburton). Wily reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and Washington Globe blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) chase down leads as the suicide becomes linked to other deaths, and a supposed killer is identified. There was a big twist at the end. 

Review: The story is the star as Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams peck their way though a complicated police story as dogged reporters tracking down a criminal and then political story. The chemistry between Crowe and McAdams works. Helen Mirren steals the scenes she is in, and I really liked watching her tell off reporter  Cal or insulting rookie Frye. 

Crowe's performance is solid although he was a bit too crusty for me. McAdams and Affleck were OK, but not outstanding. This movie had more dramatic office scenes than chase scenes, with no car chases and just one fight scene.

The movie is a political thriller, but does not have a political or social message. It is just escapist entertainment. Perhaps it promotes newspaper reading. 

Cast and crew:
Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren; directed by Kevin Macdonald
Rating: 2.5 flasks
1/2

More:
Who named this move "State of Play" and why?  This forgettable title has no link to the story that I can figure out. 

Best Movies of 2008

Top Movies of 2008
1. Doubt 4.0
2. Wall.E 4.0
3. The Bank Job 4.0
4. Vicky Christina Barcelona 3.5
5. Iron Man 3.5
6. Frost/Nixon 3.5
7. Quantum of Solace 3.5
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall 3.0
9. The Dark Knight 3.0
10. Burn After Reading 3.0

I Love You Man

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Plot: Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) gets engaged, and his fiance's friends think it is weird he does not have any male friends for the bridal party, and so he goes on a campaign to meet some male friends. There are several "man-dates," but eventually he meets Sydney (Jason Segel) who becomes his new best friend. Eventually his fiance, Zooey (Rashida Jones), gets jealous and makes them break up. The movie ends happily with the wedding.

Review:
This is a dumb movie, and I can't remember ever wanting to get out of a movie more. The whole thing made me want to cringe. 

The premise of the movie, to meet some friends, might have been played out in an interesting way, but it regressed into fart jokes, masturbation jokes, air-guitar, oral sex jokes and most especially stupid made-up lingo that cool-guys are supposed to use with each other.  Oh, did I mention projectile vomit?

The performance and some of the dialog by Paul Rudd and Jason Segel was not bad, but it could not overcome the plot and the dumb jokes. 

Cast and crew: Raul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jason Segel; written and directed by John Hamburg

Rating: 1.0 flask -- Usually a movie needs to be offensive to get a "One Flask Rating" but this movie was so unpleasant that I will make an exception.


More:
Seriously, if I would have had earplugs and a blindfold I would have put them on.

Even More:
If you stay and watch the credits, there are more scenes. Take my advice and leave anyway.

Sunshine Cleaning

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Plot: Rose, a single Mom, (Amy Adams)  starts a specialized cleaning business which she cope with her father's sister's, son's, and high school sweet-heart's screwed-up lives. For example, Rose's ashamed that her life is not coming together in front of her high school friends.

Review:  Sunshine Cleaning is the best movie that I have seen in months. It is a well-written movie that grapples with issues everyone has played out in a believable family situation. It is largely a female movie in that it deals with the relationships of the woman characters.  It is a human movie that deals with many personal and family issues. The performance of  the whole cast was tops, especially the facial acting. It has engaging likeable characters in situations that are not too stretched and removed from realistic situations. The very cute, small boy (Jason Spevack) has troubles at school. If there is a weakness it is the movie gets a little too sweet at the end. 

Cast and crew: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin; written by Megan Holly; directed by Christine Jeffs

Rating: 3.5+ flasks
1/2

More:
I'd like to see it again.