My Review: Winter`s Bone (6/10)

¨Never ask for what oughta be offered.¨

Winter`s Bone is director`s Debra Granik`s only film that I have had a chance to watch (she also directed Down to the Bone, so I guess she must have something for bones), and I was really expecting much more from this picture considering it won the Grand Jury Award at Sundance and it has recently been nominated for four Oscar awards (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence, and Best Supporting Actor for John Hawkes) with which I only agree with the two acting nods. Without a doubt the highlight of this movie is Lawrence`s breakthrough performance as Ree Dolly. She is great in this film, especially with all the non-verbal communication she conveys with her silence and facial expressions. She is one tough girl who hasn`t been corrupted by the world in which she was raised and manages to take care of her mother and siblings and she`s only 17. The other highlight of the film is John Hawkes performance as Ree`s father`s brother, Teardrop. He is excellent as a supporting character, but Lawrence is the true star of the film. The screenplay was adapted by Granik herself along with Anne Rossellini from Daniel Wodrell`s 2006 novel of the same name and I have to say the pace of the film is rather slow. There is a real authenticity and reality to the film, and poverty is depicted in a very natural manner, but at the same time the movie moves along at a very sluggish pace.

The story takes place in the Ozark Mountains, a very poor Southern rural area where all the locals seem to be involved with illegal drugs (cooking and consuming crystal meth to be more precise). Ree Dolly (Lawrence) is a 17 year old girl who has had to mature beyond her years and raise her two younger siblings on her own because her dad is constantly away from home due to troubles with the Law and her mom is mentally ill. Somehow Ree has managed to grow up strong and apart from this drug environment and manages to support her family. One day the town Sheriff (played by Garret Dillahunt) shows up bringing some more bad news for Ree. Her father has put their home as a guarantee to pay his bail and if he doesn`t show up in court in two weeks they will lose their home. The problem is that her father hasn`t showed up for a long time and no one seems to know his whereabouts or at least don`t want to talk about it with Ree. She tells the Sheriff she will find him and sets this as her primary mission. She begins asking questions to several people from the area that were involved in the same crystal meth business her father was, but no one seems to help her. The name Thump Milton (Ronnie Hall) shows up, but she gets into trouble for trying to speak to him. Finally her father`s brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes) decides to help her out after refusing to help at first. The problem is that there seems to be a code of silence between the people in the Ozarks and no one is willing to break it.

Winter`s Bone is not actually a mystery film, the main focus of the movie isn`t really trying to find out where Ree`s father is or what happened to him, the issue Granik is really trying to get at is portraying a real and authentic environment involving poverty and responsibilities a teenager shouldn`t have to carry at such an early age. Ree`s character is the center piece of the film and it is a wonder she turned out so strong in the midst of such a bad environment. She doesn`t seem to belong with the rest of the people from the Ozarks and yet she is still willing to find enough courage to stand up against them and their code of ethics. Lawrence delivers a very strong performance and Hawkes is also a great supporting character as he has to confront himself with the fact of helping out his niece or keeping up with the code of silence he has always sworn too. None of the characters of the film are one dimensional, they are all real characters and Granik manages to stay away from stereotypes. Ree`s neighbors offer help at some points and at others they turn their backs on her. Winter`s Bone is well balanced, it is also beautifully filmed, but somehow I didn`t think it was such a great film as many critics have pointed it out to be. For me the pace was too slow and the 100 minutes seemed an eternity. The movie still is a pleasant experience, it is good, but I just don`t think it`s great or Oscar worthy material for Best Picture. I would have preferred Affleck´s The Town to have been nominated in this category, a much stronger film in my opinion.

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My Review: Killers (3/10)

¨Let's do something productive... Let's go piss on a stick.¨

If you want to do something productive then don`t go see this movie. Killers is easily one of the worst movies of the year. Not even likeable actors such as Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl can save this film. I believe even true fans of these actors will be disappointed with it. The plot was beyond ridiculous and it wasn`t funny at all. I don`t know if Killers was supposed to be a comedy, a romantic film, or an action movie, but it is certainly didn`t work as any. It wasn`t funny, the action was terrible, and the chemistry between Heigl and Kutcher was nonexistent. This movie tried to be Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but it failed by a long shot. I really wasn`t expecting much out of this movie, but even for my low expectations the film was a complete disaster. Director Robert Luketic had worked in the past with Heigl in The Ugly Truth (another bad movie). Luketic began with a lot of promise as a director delivering the very funny Legally Blonde which was Witherspoon`s break out role, and I also enjoyed 21, but his latest films have been a disappointment for me, especially this one. The screenplay was written by Bob DeRosa (The Air I Breathe) and Ted Griffin (Matchstick Men and Ocean`s Eleven), and I´m pretty sure neither of them will want this movie to show up on their resume considering they have done some decent work in the past.

Ashton Kutcher is Spencer Aimes, a government hired assassin who travels around the world searching for his next target. He is on a mission in France, when he meets Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl), an attractive and innocent woman who is vacationing with her overprotective parents (Tom Selleck and Catherine O´Hara) in the same Hotel room where Spencer is staying. Jen was supposed to travel with her boyfriend, but she got dumped a few days before the trip and ended up going to Nice (France) alone. It is love at first sight for Spencer and Jen (although you wouldn`t tell from the performances because there isn`t hardly any chemistry between them) and they begin a romantic relationship. Jen doesn`t know what Spencer really does, but it isn`t a problem since he quits his job from the moment he meets her. He decides it is time to settle down and get married and start a new life with Jen. The movie then jumps forward three years into the marriage where Jen and Spencer seem to be living a perfectly happy life. They get along with all their neighbors and are very happy together, but on Spencer`s 30<sup>th</sup> birthday he is contacted by his ex-boss for a new hit. He tells his boss he is retired and wants nothing to do with this, but all of a sudden several people are after him trying to kill him. The killers happen to be people that have lived close to him over the past years, such as co-workers and neighbors, so Spencer doesn`t know who he can really trust. Jen discovers Spencer´s secret past and becomes involved in the whole mess.  

The plot is ridiculous, which is not necessary a bad thing since there is fun and entertaining ridiculous and then there is just plain and boring ridiculous, but the problem is that this movie ranks among the latter category. Killers will probably rank among my list in the Top 3 worst movies of the year. There isn`t any memorable scene or performance I can say I truly enjoyed, although there was one surprising cameo which is probably the highlight of the movie. Katherine Heigl needs to try to do a different role or at least try a different genre since all she has been working in are romantic comedies. Maybe she tried to do something different in this movie, but at the end it was just more of the same. There is not a single funny scene in the movie, the action is pretty terrible, and the romance is pathetic. I wouldn`t recommend this movie to anyone, not even Kutcher fans. The only good thing I can say about this movie is that it`s short.

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My Review: Toy Story 3 (9/10)

¨Let's go see how much we're going for on eBay.¨

It has been 15 years since the first Toy Story came out and changed the way we viewed animated cartoons forever. It was the beginning of a lasting legacy from Pixar studios and it seems that everything that they touch turns into gold. It was one of those movies that you remember exactly where you were watching it and with who because it was so memorable. There are very few movies I can say this about (even Toy Story 2 which was good didn`t have the same effect since I can`t even recall when I watched it for the first time), so you can imagine how excited I was to hear that a third installment of the franchise was coming out. I had very high expectations for Toy Story 3 and I wasn`t disappointed one bit. It is as good as the first one and the magic is still there. Toy Story 3 has several laugh out loud moments which just want to make you applaud, it also has a lot of heart and some people left the theater with tears in their eyes, so it combines everything very nicely for kids and adults to enjoy alike as pretty much every Pixar movie does. This is perhaps one of the best films I´ve seen this year, it was just a very fun experience at the movies and it brought a lot of memories. Director Lee Unkrich had previously worked as the editor of the first movie and co-director of the second one, but now he proved he can be a solo director as well. The crew did an amazing job of keeping the magic alive and mixing new characters with the old ones. The dialogue was also great; nothing was missing in this movie.

The opening scene of the movie is great and imaginative as we see the toys through Andy`s eyes while he is playing with them. But time has passed now, Woody and Buzz Lightyear are back along with the rest of the toys (even the soldiers) and are working on a plan to try to get Andy to play with them again, but he is all grown up now. Andy is going to college so he is packing everything in his room and the toys are nervous about what is going to happen to them. Somehow the toys are misplaced and are sent to a daycare where we are introduced to a new world and new characters. At first the toys seem to be excited that finally they are going to be played with and cared for, but they soon discover that the little kids are a nightmare. They try to escape from the daycare, but it is being controlled by a pink teddy bear named Lotso who runs the place like if it were a prison. Andy`s toys make a plan to try to escape the daycare/prison and return to the attic where they were supposedly going to be placed. Toy Story meets The Great Escape and the result is hilarious. There are also several touching moments in the movie, which is perfectly balanced.

Toy Story 3 is definitely worth your time and it is not even necessary to go with children. It is a film adults will enjoy because it has a great script and a good story. The characters are reinvented as well; it is not just more of the same as most any other sequels are, this film actually has more heart and remains fresh. This is one of the best films of the year so far and Pixar seems to never fail to hit a homerun. It reminded me a lot of Up in that it had some emotional moments in it, it has a lot of heart. The daycare escape scene is one of the funniest I have seen all year and the ending is just great. The Ken and Barbie dolls are also extremely funny and are probably the best new characters introduced in the film. No one could even leave during the credits. I recommend this film to everyone, especially if you enjoyed the other two films because this one keeps up with them and doesn`t disappoint. 

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My Review: The A-Team (8/10)

¨They are the best, and they specialize in the ridiculous.¨

This movie is ridiculous yes, but it is also ridiculously funny and entertaining because the characters are simply the best. The A-Team was my favorite TV series growing up as a kid and it was a fun time to see them on the big screen again; different actors but the same characters. I was really looking forward to this movie and I wasn`t disappointed. It took me awhile to get into the movie and get used to the new actors, but after the first 15 minutes I began to enjoy it more and more. The A-Team is not a smart film and the plot is very absurd, but it is a very entertaining film mixing comedy with action and sticking to the main characteristics which made the TV series such a hit. This is a movie which doesn`t take itself seriously and neither should the viewer, but it does promise a lot of action and comedy. If you never saw the series then you might not enjoy this movie as much as I did, but if you were a fan then this is a movie you won`t want to miss because it will bring back some good memories. Just being able to hear Hannibal saying his famous ¨I love it when a plan comes together¨ line while putting the Cuban cigar on his mouth, laughing at Baracus`s fear of flying, at Murdock`s impersonations, or at Face for getting into trouble with the ladies brought back so many fond memories of the series. The performances were also good and I am glad the writers stuck with the main idea of the series. Director Joe Carnahan (who also directed the very entertaining Smokin` Aces) did a very good job at making this a highly entertaining and light action comedy.

The movie serves as a sort of prequel to the TV series as we get to know how each member of the A-Team meets and how they are later betrayed and turned into fugitives. It picks off in Mexico where Col. John Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson from Taken) is trying to save his partner Lt. Templeton Faceman Peck (Bradley Cooper from The Hangover) who seems to have got himself into trouble for sleeping with a criminal`s wife. While trying to save Face, Hannibal runs into Sgt. Bosco B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson) and after realizing they served in the same war together, Baracus decides to help him saving Face. Once they rescue Face, they search for a pilot who can take them back to the States and that is where they meet Capt. Howling Mad Murdock (Sharlto Copley from District 9). Together they form an elite team and are sent to the War in Iraq where they are betrayed and later imprisoned. With the help of a CIA agent named Lynch (Patrick Wilson) the A-Team escape and try to clear their name by finding the man who betrayed them: Pike (Brian Bloom).  Capt. Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel) is in charge of bringing the fugitives back to prison although she has a past with Face. The plot is not the most attractive thing about this film, which takes itself very lightly.

I really loved the cast in this film. Bradley Cooper was great as Face, Jackson wasn´t bad either playing Baracus, Liam Neeson was great as always playing Hannibal, but the true star of this film in my opinion was District 9 star, Sharlto Copley, who once again nailed his role and got the most laughs out of me. He was just terrific. The movie doesn`t try to take itself seriously and it works because it serves as a sort of homage to the TV series. I was highly entertained and found this movie funnier than what I expected. I recommend this movie, although I don`t know if you will enjoy it as much if you weren`t familiar with the television series, but fans will definitely have a good time at the movies. 

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My Review: Legion (4/10)

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¨ I knew He'd send you, Gabriel. You were always so eager to please Him. ¨

(4/10)Legion is Scott Stewart`s feature film debut as a director after working for many years in the visual effects department. He also collaborated with Peter Schink in writing the script for this movie. Stewart knows how to create cool visuals and he is a master at it, but he still has a long way to go with direction and writing, because those were the major weaknesses that Legion had. There are some moments in this sci-fi apocalyptic thriller that catch your attention, but most of the time is wasted with bad dialogues and plot holes. The few action scenes are well made with nice visuals, but they are too few and the movie begins to drag after a while; which gave me too much spare time to start thinking and analyzing: why don´t these angels just blow up the diner and get it over with. If God really wanted to destroy the human race he`d find an easier way to do it. Legion is a science fiction film and really has nothing to do with the Bible or Christian beliefs in case many were left wondering. Legion could have worked simply as an entertaining film and taken lightly, but the problem is that it is really slow paced and has poor dialogues and major plot holes, so it doesn`t even work as pure entertainment either.

The plot is pretty simple: God wants to destroy the human race because he has lost faith in them, so he sends his archangel Michael (Paul Bettany, Wimbledon) on a mission, but Michael still hasn`t lost his faith in mankind so he disobeys God´s command and has come to protect one particular baby who happens to be the key to saving the human race. The action takes place in a deserted diner where Charlie (Adrianne Palick) works as a waitress and is eight months pregnant. The diner belongs to Bob Hanson (Dennis Quaid), who lives there with his son Jeep (Lucas Black) and together they try to administer the diner. Percy (Charles S. Dutton) also works as an employer at the deserted diner and the only clients that arrive at the place are usually people that are lost. Such is the case with the Anderson family who are waiting for Jeep to fix their car so they can get on their way, and Kyle (Tyrese Gibson) who took a wrong turn and is completely lost. All these people happen to be at the diner when Michael comes to protect Charlie`s baby from the legion of angels that God has sent to destroy them. Together they must help protect Charlie and fight off all these angels who come in human form by possessing the most weak minded. The battle for human survival takes place in this deserted diner.

The cast is pretty good. I enjoyed Paul Bettany`s performance and thought he made a decent action star. He is a good actor and can undertake several different roles. Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, and Charles S. Dutton also gave decent performances. The problem with Legion wasn`t the cast or the visuals, which were also pretty good (although nothing mind blowing either), the problem was the pace of the movie and the poor dialogue which didn`t help make better transitions from one scene to the next. The action scenes were ok, but as I said before if God wanted to destroy the human race he would find a much easier way to do it. All the angels had to do was blow up the diner and the problem was solved. If you want to see a good apocalyptic movie, then go see The Book of Eli instead. I can`t even recommend this film for pure entertainment alone because it doesn`t even entertain, so skip Legion.

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My Review: Iron Man 2 (8/10)

¨ If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him. There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come. ¨

(8/10) Jon Favreau does a great job again with the direction of the sequel to his 2008 hit, Iron Man. He has made a sequel that is just as good and entertaining as the first movie was, and he even had some screen time as Tony Stark`s personal bodyguard in this second installment. Just like in the first film, the secret to the movie`s success is Robert Downey Jr. `s performance as Tony Stark, who unlike other superheroes is even more fun to watch as himself than when he suits up. The film is highly entertaining and the two hours the movie lasts just fly by. This is what summer movies are all about and Iron Man 2 has lifted the standards for entertainment this season. The problem most sequels have is that the novelty of the first movie is gone, and yes Iron Man 2 misses that, but the film is still so entertaining and it is so fun to watch Downey Jr. playing Tony Stark that we just can`t get enough of him. The special effects, the characters, the action, are all good, but the true success of this film (like the previous one) relies on Robert Downey Jr. `s performance and how fun it is to see him playing this character. There are new villains, new superheroes, a new plot, but none of that outshines Downey Jr. and we just want to see more of him without caring too much for all the other elements. This is not a superior movie than the first one, but it is just as equally as entertaining and if you enjoyed the first one then you will enjoy this one. This time the screenplay was written by Justin Theroux (who also wrote Tropic Thunder) and there were some very funny lines and dialogues. The plot was also smart and up to standards for superhero movies, but I will not get tired of repeating it, Jon Favreau hit a homerun when he casted Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

The movie picks up where the first one ended; Tony Stark is telling the world that he is Iron Man and that he wants to maintain world peace after all the destruction that his company had caused in the past. Somewhere in Russia an old man is watching this statement on TV and telling his son, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), that that should be him and not Tony Starks. Right after he says this he dies and Ivan gives a vengeful cry and begins working on some sort of powerful weapon. Six months go by and Stark`s confession has caused the government to try to force him to turn in the suit so that they can use it as a military weapon. They have tried to make another suit with the help of Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a weapon specialist and clearly one of Stark`s rivals, but he has failed, so now they are trying to take his suit through legal actions. Tony has a bigger issue to deal with; the pacemaker like device he is using as a heart is deteriorating his blood and he is heading towards a painful death if he doesn`t discover another element that can replace the one he is currently using. Because of this Tony decides to appoint Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as the CEO and president of Starks Industry and hires the very attractive and sexy Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) as his secretary. His best friend, Lt. Col. James Rhodes (played by Don Cheadle instead of Terrence Howard who played him in the first version) works with the government and is forced to ask Tony to collaborate with them by giving them the suit after an incident with Ivan has showed the world that Iron Man (God) can bleed.

Iron Man 2 is one of the most entertaining movies of the year. There is nothing new about the sequel, but it still provides a lot of entertainment. As sequels go, I think The Dark Knight was a much better one as it introduced some new elements, an unforgettable villain, and was even superior to Batman Begins. Iron Man 2 is not superior to the first one, but it is entertaining enough to equal it thanks in most part to Robert Downey Jr. who has really found the perfect role. The villains were also interesting enough; Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke are great actors and they contributed to this film. Don Cheadle is a talented actor, but I really didn`t like the switch they made with Terrence Howard, I think he fit the character better and this is probably one of the only negative aspects about this movie. Scarlett Johansson was placed mostly for eye candy (although no one can argue she is a great actress as well) and she didn`t disappoint either. Jon Favreau also has some funny lines as Happy Hogan and delivers some laughs. Samuel Jackson has a couple of good scenes as Nick Fury, and you can`t help but get excited for The Avengers movie since this one serves as a sort of transition for that. Overall I really enjoyed this movie and recommend it. If you liked the first one then you won`t be disappointed although I can`t say it is better because it is more of the same, but same is good enough for me as far as entertainment goes.

My Review: Shutter Island (8/10)

¨Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man? ¨

(8/10) Shutter Island has all the right ingredients for everyone to enjoy this movie. First of all, it is directed by Martin Scorsese, the guy who brought us such masterpieces as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, and The Departed. Martin Scorsese is one of the best directors and he is always trying different genres, being original, standing out, but with his classic trademark direction in every film. This time he brings us this dark suspense thriller that traps us from the very beginning and hooks our attention up to the very end. Shutter Island is based on Dennis Lehanes`s novel of the same name. His previous two novels, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone have also been made into feature films, and are among my favorite movies, especially the first one. If those two names alone are not enough for you to want to go see this film, then perhaps this might convince you: Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley star in this thriller and give great performances. I did not have to see the trailer to know that I wanted to watch this film because I really admire each of the people involved in making Shutter Island. The weakest link perhaps is the screenplay writer Laeta Kalogridis who wrote Alexander and Pathfinder, two movies that bombed in the box office. The script does have its flaws, but the performances and the direction are what stand out in this dark thriller. The atmosphere and the mystery that Scorsese masterfully creates are worth the ticket price plus some really good performances from the lead characters make this a very enjoyable movie experience. This is not one of Scorsese`s best films, but that does not mean it is a bad movie either. Scorsese knows how to make movies and he does not fail with Shutter Island although he did take a huge risk with this film.

The movie is set in 1954 and like in all Lehane`s previous novels it takes place in Boston. U.S Marshall, Teddy Daniels (played brilliantly by Leonardo Di Caprio who seems to shine every time he works with Martin), has to investigate a mysterious disappearance that takes place in Shutter Island where an asylum for the criminally insane is located. Teddy is teamed up with Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), a Marshall from Seattle and together they have to solve the case in which a patient from the asylum named Rachel has gone missing. There they meet the psychiatrist in charge of the patients, Dr. Cawley (played by Ben Kingsley who absolutely nails his role once again) who seems to be hiding some crucial information in the case, as do most every other employees in the hospital. Dr. Cawley works alongside Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow) who also seems very calm during the investigation. Teddy and Chuck begin to question nurses and patients but they can`t seem to figure out how Rachel has disappeared. During the investigation, Teddy has to battle with constant headaches and migraines as well with hurricane like weather, and he keeps on having visions of his dead wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams), telling him what he has to do. Torments of his troubled past begin to affect Teddy`s role in the investigation and as the plot thickens we discover that he wanted to be assigned to Shutter Island for other personal reasons because he believes some unethical treatments are taking place with the patients. This is where the puzzle begins to get more complicated for Teddy as he has to fight his own personal demons while trying to solve the case.

Emily Mortimer and Jackie Earle Haley also have small roles in this movie as patients from the asylum and do a great job. Much of the success of this film relies on the good performances from the entire cast. Leonardo Di Caprio and Ben Kingsley prove once again why they are such great actors as they make most out of a not too strong script. The story is interesting, but the script wasn`t able to fit all the pieces together as smoothly as I would have liked. Scorsese however is a master at his craft and really creates a mysterious and dark atmosphere so there are plenty of thrills and suspense spread out throughout Shutter Island. The twist at the end was kind of predictable, but it didn`t affect the outcome of the movie as it hooked my attention from the very beginning. Perhaps with a stronger ending I would have given it a higher grade, but it is a good film nonetheless. It is worth a watch because Scorsese and Di Caprio are back together again doing what they do best, even though this is not their best effort it is still better than most other thrillers that have come out recently.

My Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (5/10)

¨What the hell are those iguanas doing on my coffee table? ¨

(5/10) Werner Herzog directs a different version of the 1992 film that starred Harvey Keitel as the bad lieutenant. This time around that role is played by Nicolas Cage and the action takes place in New Orleans several months after hurricane Katrina. Werner Herzog directed one of my favorite movies of 2006, Rescue Dawn, in which Christian Bale played a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. Because of that my expectations for this film were high. Herzog also directed the Oscar nominated documentary Grizzly Man and several other German films; and he has received a lot of praise for this film although it didn`t fulfill my expectations. The screenplay, which was written by William Finkelstein, is decent and it focuses on Nicolas Cage`s character during the entire film, leaving the rest of the characters in a secondary position. The key ingredient in this film is Cage`s performance. This is definitely one of his best roles in a long time. He plays an eccentric character and Cage is always at his best when he has to play this type of role. Eva Mendes is a great actress, but her role was minor in this film; as was pretty much every other actor in the movie. Val Kilmer only has a couple of lines and I think we see him more in the trailers than in the actual movie. Nicolas Cage is the one who steals the show and his performance is terrific, but I got tired of the plot after the first twenty minutes and the movie seemed to drag from that point on. The only positive thing about Bad Lieutenant is Nicolas Cage; and hopefully he will continue to accept more roles like the one he played in this film.

Nicolas Cage is Terence McDonagh, a corrupt cop who constantly breaks the law in order to get what he wants. We are introduced to him shortly after hurricane Katrina and we see him saving a prisoner from drowning in his cell. Terence seems to be a good cop and he even receives an honorary medal for his service. Later he is at the hospital because he`s suffering from back pains and the doctor prescribes him Vicodin in order to control his pain. The movie suddenly jumps to six months after the disaster and we are introduced to a different version of Terence who seems to be suffering from drug and gambling addiction. He does whatever it takes in order to get his hands on some cocaine and even tries to bribe players in order to win some gambling money. It is during this addiction that he has to solve a murder case in which a group of Senegalese immigrants have been brutally killed over some drug scandal. Terence is probably not the right man for the job as he is probably guiltier than most criminals. The movie follows Terence everywhere he goes while investigating the murder. We are introduced to his girlfriend, who is actually a prostitute named Frankie (Eva Mendes) and she is also a junkie like him. Eva Mendes does a good job, but her character is not that important in the film (which is true for every other character other than the one played by Cage). Val Kilmer plays another corrupt cop named Stevie Pruit that works with Terence in some cases. Big Fate, played by Xzibit, is the prime suspect in the murder case and Terence actually uses him to get some more drugs and money. Terence is buried in debt and actually has to hide his girlfriend at his parent`s house in order to protect her from the collectors. His mother, Genevieve (Jennifer Coolidge from American Pie), is an alcoholic and his father Pat is played by Tom Bower. As the movie progresses Terence seems to get buried deeper and deeper in his drug, gambling, and sex addiction.

Bad Lieutenant might have resurrected Nicolas Cage`s career as we are reminded of some of his earlier works when he played more eccentric characters, but the movie just didn`t work for me. The hallucination scenes with the iguanas and the dancing souls were too bizarre and rather distracting although you do get a good sense of how Cage`s character was feeling. I didn`t like the way the movie ended either because everything seemed to work out just perfectly when it seemed impossible to get out of such a hole. I actually thought it was all another illusion that Terence was going through. The movie is dark and it has some entertaining parts thanks to Cage, but it just didn`t work for me. I found myself kind of bored after the first twenty minutes and was waiting for the movie to get somewhere. Perhaps I just had too many high expectations for this Herzog film because I enjoyed Red Dawn so much. One thing is for sure, the movie might not be so good, but Cage`s performance is great as he plays this antihero. I would recommend this movie for his performance alone, although if you are in to dark movies you probably would enjoy this because Terence is really a bad lieutenant

My Review: New Moon (9/10

(9/10) The wait is over for Twilight fans as the second film of the franchise is finally out and just like the first one it`s getting mixed reviews. The saga is based on Stephenie Meyer`s novel of the same name. Just like in the novel, there are going to be four parts and New Moon is the second one of the franchise. I really enjoyed the first Twilight, and thought that the action slash romance was well balanced and worked very well. When I heard Twilight was about vampires I was completely expecting it to be the typical vampire blood sucking movie, but I was suprised to see how different the film was. In New Moon I already knew what to expect, but I found it even better than the first one. I thought it had a lot more action and the addition of the werewolves was a plus because their characters were complex, interesting and it presented a whole new world that hadn`t been introduced to us yet the first time around. The romance also got better as Edward and Bella were seperated and a third character was thrown in the mix, Jacob. The friendship between Bella and Jacob and the mixed feelings of love and friendship that they felt was an interesting addition to the saga. It`s always good when in a film you have mixed feelings for which character you want him or her to end up with and in this case many of the fans were routing for a different guy and that is what explains so many status updates about Team Edward or Team Jacob.

I know this film is targeted towards teenage girls, but it has enough action and good vissual effects to be enjoyed by guys as well. I really thought the special effects were much better than in the first one and after watching 2012 I thought these effects felt cool and they just felt more real and not exagerated. The werewolf transformation scenes were pretty nice, as were the chasing scenes between werewolves and vampires. There is plenty of action for guys to enjoy as well although the first 20 minutes do feel a little cheesy. The dialogue is probably one of the weekest parts of the movie, but the story is just engaging and I guess most guys can identify with the Jacob character. We have all fallen for a girl that sees us as a friend who has always been there for her, but not as boyfriend material. Ouch. I don`t know maybe it`s just the teenage adolescent girl inside of me doing the talking. It feels kind of good of letting that repression out. The love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob was a great addition to the franchise. There were several references to Romeo and Juliet and in a way this film has several similarities to the Shakesperean play (although they could have learned a lesson or two on how to write decent dialogues that didnt feel so cheesy) because of the rivalry between two families, in this case the werewolves and the vampires and somehow Bella is caught in the middle of both worlds.

Another improvement from Twilight were the villains. Micheal Sheen was great as Aro the head vampire of the Volturi (a sort of vampire royalty), and Dakota Fanning was also creepy in her role as Jane a pain inducing illusionist. These villains made you feel like the ones in the first Twilight were a joke. Kristen Stewart is also a delight to watch on screen and she makes the love scenes work despite the bad dialogues. The chemistry between her and Pattinson really works and you can feel the sexual tension between both chracters despite the awkward long pauses and stares. Taylor Lautner plays Jacob, Bella`s best friend who is in love with her and actually is a werewolf who haunts down vampires therefore the plot thickens. The rest of the Cullin family doesnt`t have much screen time as the main focus of the film is in introducing the werewolves and building the relationship between Bella and Jacob. I really enjoyed this movie and it will probably end up in my top ten films of 2009.