Showing posts with label Liam Neeson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liam Neeson. Show all posts
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Plenty on my mind today considering I really haven't done all that much with my day off. I still have to do the housework and perhaps cook dinner too. Lazy times. Though I will say that I'm extremely disappointed with today's development in the Kurt Tippett saga, but nothing else - I said what I needed to say.
I postponed my Shoe of the Week because of that post so here we go:
I needed a fan today, it was 32 degrees here. But not on a boot. Possibly OK for a trip in Asia somewhere.
Shoe of the Month is also due. I had this one two weeks ago, and I actually still really like it. To the calendar makers, well done.
Now it's review time.
Taken 2 (MA15+)
THE CHAMELEON that is Liam Neeson continues to turn heads as he surfaces on our screens time and time again with something different. We know from the Batman trilogy that sequels are not beyond the Irishman, but his return to the character that revealed him as an action hero still managed to surprise.
The first film was an unexpected hit (even on his account), so in retrospect it was a no-brainer to try and make something more from it. The team from Taken returned to see how they could turn the tables on Bryan Mills (Neeson) and saw fit to create a story around a complete reversal of the first film.
Former CIA agent Bryan and ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) are in Istanbul when they are taken by the Albanian group seeking revenge for Bryan’s prior killing spree on their comrades. The only person who can find them is their daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), who still being a teenager has to prove extremely capable to do what her father asks of her.
That includes throwing grenades and learning to drive stick through Istanbul’s streets while being chased by Mercedes SUVs. It’s not child’s play but she manages to put the pain of her experience from Taken behind her and do whatever it takes to save her parents.
Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen’s script is extremely tight at just 92 minutes, with everything progressing rather quickly. It works for most of the story, but even Neeson feels the strain by the last 20 minutes, where the pace slows down just a bit to suggest everyone’s rather tired.
This thrill ride purely focuses on the revenge of the Albanians, but does give glimpses of how the Mills family have gotten on since the last bit of trauma. Never to weigh an audience down though, director Olivier Megaton (replacing Pierre Morel) makes sure they get their frustrations out on the run. The action sequences are quick, and while there’s a whole lot of Neeson saying "Drive!" and "Go. Go now!" Megaton still creates plenty of credible suspense.
Grace as Kim grows up a bit and Janssen is more of an emotional wreck, but Neeson well and truly carries the film as he finds himself to be the one in a bit of a spot. He’s menacing as a ruthless action hero but manages to retain a soft side with those close to him. Luc Besson has said there won’t be any more sequels, and for good reason. This still leaves the Mills story on a good note after throwing their lives into disarray all over again.
Rating: 3.5/5***
Taken (MA15+) (2008)
THE FIRST we heard of the Mills family was four years ago in Pierre Morel’s film when daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) was taken in Paris to be sold as a prostitute. Her father, former CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), is forced to get back into action to save his own daughter within a 96-hour timeframe.
A bundle of nerves form in your mind as Bryan uses his smarts to track her down, killing anyone who stands in his way. He’s not a bad guy though, merely doing what he must to get Kim back.
It’s a great mix of thrills and suspense with an interesting plot involving European human trafficking. Neeson is constantly imposing as Bryan, and doing what he does best is a good watch. A surprise hit but well deserved.
Rating: 4
*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 6/10/2012***
The Killing Fields (1984)
WHEN films have the impact to influence a whole generation, one must applaud the efforts of those who played their part. The true story of two journalists in Cambodia reporting on the Khmer Rouge regime resonated so highly in the Ukraine that it was included in their school curriculum, presented as an example of what would happen if their country’s Orange Revolution escalated into civil war.
New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) and Cambodian Dith Pran (Haing S Ngor) work together in covering the development of the gradual takeover in Phnom Penh. When Pran gets the chance to leave, he sends his family but stays with Schanberg as their friendship strengthens.
Trying to get out when it becomes vital to leave is futile for Pran; a ploy to make him a Western citizen fails and he becomes privy to the horrors of the Year One cleansing regime. As Ngor himself had lived through much of it, scenes portraying Pran were often too much to emotionally handle. Watching it on a DVD is enough to see why.
Stanley Kubrick considered tackling the project, but Roland Joffe handles it brilliantly, getting the best out of the locations and his cast, which also included John Malkovich and Julian Sands. Ngor deservedly won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and the film remains an eye-opener just as much as a vehicle to reinforce the importance of trust, friendship and tolerance.
*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) from Wednesday 3/10/2012
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of Touch of Evil.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Battleship (M)
The people over at Hasbro HQ will be sitting in their chairs
gloating over their latest money-spinner. As they evolve their interest in Hollywood
from making films out of games-turned-TV-shows up to just making films straight
from games, it seems to be working. But the buck stops there, with the premise
of their latest enterprise throwing too much in to fill such a vastly empty (plot)
hole.
The Transformers films
have enjoyed success because of the toys’ original longevity, which brought
along a TV show that developed the characters so they were loved or hated. With
boats it’s a bit harder to achieve that unless you inject characters into the mix,
but while the characters in this film are given time to develop there’s no
sense of connection. For either side, being that the bad guys are aliens.
Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is a no-hoper who meets his girl Samantha (Brooklyn Decker) drunk on his birthday. After breaking into a mini-mart to get her an unattainable chicken burrito, big brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgård) decides a life change in the Navy is what he needs. After working his way up the ranks, during an exercise undertaking with Japanese navy crew at sea both brothers find themselves up against alien battleships from Planet G fighting to invade Earth.
The film kicks into gear once the elements of the game come into play, and the focus on tactics is not lost on us as a slight wave of nostalgia hits those who were Battleship players. The action comes in thick but not fast, although with plenty of decent explosions to satisfy the target (male) audience. Otherwise the film has little to like.
Hopper fights a war with himself as he battles the enemy and shows weak character, proving quickly as someone you don’t want to sympathise with. In short, the guy is an idiot, and while Kitsch goes by what he’s given it’s a bad handling of the lead guy as an underdog from director Peter Berg (Hancock).
The subplot on shore involving Samantha ties in nicely enough but still has a weak execution. Decker (aka Mrs Andy Roddick) isn’t a major focus and also not overplayed, unlike singer Rihanna as fellow Navy officer Raikes in her debut acting role.
The film’s ultimate weakness is its screenplay; Erich and Jon Hoeber’s creation is terrible. While writing the well-received Red, they use this film to stab at US-Japan relations with racist innuendos and then attempt to laugh at themselves. Confusion about whether it wants to be comic leaves the whole 131 minutes as one big contradiction.
The premise of making deep-space communication had potential, but the whole outing proves pointless. The music used is painfully typical, and even the addition of Liam Neeson as Admiral Shane sadly doesn’t bring anything extra to the challenge of making the film viable.
Hasbro should stick to putting toys on shelves. There are better films for getting nostalgic about sinking ships.
Rating: 2/5
*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 14/4/2012
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