Fringe

Starring: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Michael Cerveris, Kirk Acevado, Seth Gabel, Leonard Nimoy, & Mark Valley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

It's rare for me to give a television show a perfect rating, but I will say, without hesitation, that Fringe is the best original Science Fiction show to come along in thirty years. When J.J Abrams started working on his follow up to Lost, he wanted to create a show that touched on everything that had been done before it. Fringe takes elements of Star Trek, The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, and others, and incorporates them all into his story. It was a show that was truly ahead of it's time and initially had a lot of network support. 

The premier episode on FOX is the most expensive pilot episode ever made and the fans love it. The first two seasons of Fringe were highly rated, but not in the top ten. Not realizing what they had or the cult following it had behind it, FOX started moving the show around, eventually putting in on Friday nights, where it died after just 100 episodes. Today, the show is carried on in books and several of the cast have talked about the possibility of having it turned into a film franchise. 

The story of Fringe began in 2008, when an airplane with 250 passengers on board, landed itself in Boston, without any survivors. All the agencies show up, including the FBI, who send their liaison officer, Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv). Dunham and her partner/lover are sent to do the dirty work, but stumble upon something unexpected, which puts them at the head of the investigation team. Not believing what she saw, Dunham goes in search of help, and finds a brilliant scientist, who used to do classified experiments for the U.S. Government. There is a problem of course, as the scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), has been in a mental institution for 17 years. In order to get him out, Dunham must track down and recruit the help of Bishop's son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), who is a con-man, working out of Iraq. With the team in place, they work to solve the impossible case and are asked by Col. Philip Broyles (Lance Reddick), to become part of a classified team of FBI members, who are assigned to work on the strange and unexplainable. 

From parallel universes to time travel to human experimentation and even monsters, Fringe really incorporated everything they could into the story, in one way or another. Anna Torv stars as Agent Olivia Dunham and what a star she is. How J.J. Abrams found her is nothing short of amazing in and of itself. Torv hadn't been in very many things, but had an impressive background, that includes her being a martial arts expert, who speaks multiple languages. They put her talents to use and make her the new head investigator of the Fringe division. Torv was the action star of the show, who turned out to be even more, when the cast met their duplicates from the alternate universe in season 3. I really can not express in words how terrific this woman was and how important her character was to every fascist of the story.

As for the other main character of the story, that's Dr. Walter Bishop played by John Noble. Noble is one of those guys, you've seen in movies and on television all the time, but also the kind of guy whose name you probably didn't know. With Dr. Walter Bishop, John Noble established himself as a Sci-Fi legend. Much in the way his former partner William Bell, played by Leonard Nimoy, is associated with Spock, Noble and Bishop will be forever linked. Not only does his character bring a brilliant mind to the cast, but also brings humor to the show. After being locked in a mental hospital for 17 years, there isn't much Walter won't say or do. He loves to eat, do LSD, and tell people exactly what he thinks, leading to some of the best one-liners I have ever heard in a Science Fiction series.

Fringe isn't all about the strange and unusual, it's also about family, action, love, and humor. I can tell you that it is the single most addictive show I've seen in my entire life. I wound up watching all 100 episodes in under 3 months, and now that it's over, I find myself missing it and thinking about it often. Even though I'm a Netflix member with a large collection, for almost 2 weeks now, I have been sampling other series, looking for something to fill the void. I'm finding myself having trouble even getting into similar shows, the way I got into Fringe. It is one of the best television shows I have ever seen. If you're into Science Fiction this show is an absolute must see. If you're not into Science Fiction, there is still a ton of stuff here for you as well. Do yourselves a favor and treat yourself to this remarkable show while it is still streaming on Netflix.

Fright Night (2011)

Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, & Imogen Poots

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

I am not a fan of remakes, because rarely, if ever, do they do justice to the original film. That being said, I wasn't expecting anything out of the Fright Night remake, except for a cameo by Chris Sarandon. I was however pleasantly surprised, as the young cast was better than expected. For those who don't know the story, it is a classic vampire tale. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) is a normal teenager, whose life revolves around High School and his beautiful girlfriend. Everything is perfect until an old friend tells him that his new neighbor is a vampire. At first Charley doesn't believe him, but the more he watches, the more he realizes that something isn't right. Anton Yelchin opposes Colin Farrell, and while he might not have the name recognition, he easily outshines the veteran actor. Yelchin has a cult following among fans of teen movies, after strong performance in films like Charlie Bartlett and Middle of Nowhere. As with most teen idols, his popularity is not just about his looks, it comes from his smooth relaxed style of acting, that people can relate to. Yelchin's characters are always real and honest, the kind of guy audiences can easily relate to, and that's what makes him as good as he is. Yelchin has help in this film from an all-star cast that includes, Farrell, Toni Collete, Christopher Mintz-Plasse-Mclovin, Dave Franco, and of course the original vampire, Chris Sarandon. The combination of chemistry between new and veteran make for a truly powerful cast, that bring new life to this classic story.

Cherry Crush

Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Nikki Reed, & Michael O'Keefe

Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5 stars

This film is not usually the kind of movie that I go for, but I decided to watch it, for it's star, Jonathan Tucker. He is one of my favorite actors, and this is one of the few films, he's done, that I hadn't seen yet. The story begins with Jordan Wells (Tucker) in trouble with both the police and his private school. It was discovered that Wells had been taking nude photos of several of the girls, and the school was deciding whether or not to press charges. They don't, but the well-to-do teen is sent to finish his senior year at public school. Once there he meets the girls of his dreams, a girl he thinks will change his life, but she's not all she appears to be. For starters, the cast of this film was way to old to be believable as High School students and the story really didn't match the setting. This was a story of love, hate, betrayal, and murder, involving wealthy, well to do people. Setting the story in the context of a High School romance did it a huge disservice. The story itself wasn't bad, just slow at certain points, but the setting just turned me off to the whole thing right from the beginning. Jonathan Tucker does the tremendous job I've come to expect from him. It doesn't matter the role or type of film, but somehow this guy always manages to get audiences to like him. It's Tucker's charisma and connection to the audience that keeps me watching, even when it's a film like this, that I really wasn't into. Cherry Crush basically has nothing going for it, except for it's star, who does his best to try and save a film that just doesn't work.

The Lords of Salem

Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davidson, & Jeff Phillips

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

What the hell is wrong with Rob Zombie? I get that the guy grew up on Heavy Metal and old black & white Horror movies, but there is twisted and then their is fucking insane. The things that must be going through this mans head, that encouraged him to write something like this, is the true definition of horrific. The film follows a radio DJ in Salem, Massachusetts, who has been seeing some strange things. One day a weird record shows up at the station and the DJ plays it on the air. The seemingly innocent record becomes the most requested song on the station, but not without consequences, as it posses the local female population. I am a fan of his music, so I know how strange and twisted Rob Zombie can be, but even I have my limits. Following one of the best horror films I've ever seen, The Devil's Rejects, I was really looking forward to Zombie's next project. That film was a good story, with strong characters, and an amazing ending. This film is pure garbage, meant to shock and disturb audiences, and it does a very good job of that. From nude elderly women, spitting blood on babies, and opening gateways to hell to scary psychics and beast like creatures running around in the dark, this movie is full of things you just never want to see. Rob's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie stars and the once beautiful, up and coming star of the Devil's Rejects, is now covered in tattoos and looks like she hasn't eaten in months. Her performance is flat and unbelievable, adding to the mountain of manure that this film is offering. I love Horror movies and I love weird shit, but this was just above and beyond freaking weird. I should have turned the film off when nude witches were spitting blood on babies, but I didn't, I stuck with it and I'm sorry I did. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get some of the horrific images out of my head.

Interview With A Hitman

Starring: Luke Goss, Caroline Tillette, & Stephen Marcus

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If this movie wasn't a limited release, overseas film, people would be talking about an Academy Award for Best Picture! On the surface it doesn't look like much and the film also starts out painfully slow, but Interview With A Hitman is an incredible story, with some really imaginative twists in it. The story begins with an aging Director, looking for one more chance to be on top. He finds that chance when one of Interpol's most wanted, a career killer, contacts him, and agrees to tell his story. The Director has to jump through some hoops, but once they sit down, the mysterious man starts to tell the story of his life. The man knows nothing but killing, have working for a variety of organized crime outfits since he was 10 years old. From there, the film plays out like any other mafia film you've ever seen, there are shady deals, rats, set-ups, everything you could possibly want in a film about organized crime. Interview With A Hitman does take place in Europe though, and can be somewhat confusing. Thick accents and weird names make following the story a bit tricky at times, and that's the only reason this film didn't receive 5 stars. That being said, the ending more than makes up for it, with a twist that you will never see coming. Luke Goss (Red Widow, Death Race) stars as this stone cold killer and does an excellent job, in a role that really wasn't much of a stretch for him. He always plays these cold, calculating people, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he has killed before, Goss is one scary dude. This is the kind of film that will have you thinking about it long after it's over, something every writer hopes to accomplish. When you're going over the events in your mind days after you've seen the film and you are still in awe of what happened, you know you just saw something very special. Label this one a must see movie, because the story really has everything you could want and more.

Phone Booth

Starring: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, & Katie Holmes

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Who would have thought a movie about a guy in a phone booth would be as interesting as it was? I suppose when Joel Shumacher is directing an all-star cast, anything, even an entire movie that takes place in a phone booth, can be interesting! Colin Farrell stars as a man who lies, cheats, and does anything it takes to get to the top of his profession. He thinks he's on top of the world, with a wife, a girlfriend, and a group of clients, who don't know what scum he is, but someone has noticed the real Stu Shepard and has trained a rifle on him. Shepard has to do as he is told or risk becoming yet another victim, of a man who has been targeting New York City's businessmen. Colin Farrell is a very versatile actor, it's always been his biggest strength, but generally I find his performances to be kind of flat. Farrell has never been someone who I would consider a top tier Hollywood actor, but looking back on this early performance, I have to tell you, I was impressed. The setting of the film was so limited, that the only way it works is if you have a strong and believable cast, which Phone Booth certainly has. Every character has a unique back story and everyone is interconnected, in a film that is full of intrigue and edge of your seat action. People may not know what a phone booth is anymore, but this film is far from outdated. It is an excellent edge of your seat thrill ride that is perfect for the person who wants a short, but exciting movie.

From Paris With Love

Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, & Kasia Smutniak

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

From Paris With Love plays as though it were the fourth or fifth sequel in a legendary saga, that has reached it's end and is just milking another film out of the story. It's adequate and somewhat entertaining, but nowhere near as good as it should have been. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers stars a a junior C.I.A. agent, working out of the U.S. Embassy in Paris. Until now he's been asked to do simple things. His role quickly changes once and international terror cell sets up shop in his backyard. Rhys-Meyers is quickly paired with a veteran C.I.A. hit-man. The kind of guy you call when you want things done quickly and under the radar, but years of killing has taken it's toll. The mysterious man has become cold and reckless to a fault. The story here is painfully predictable, in a film that is about half as long as it should have been. Yes, the film is basically non-stop action, but it moves in such a way that the story is rushed to the point of confusion. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was terrific in an opposites attract kind of way. John Travolta on the other hand was much too old and out of shape to be believable as this crazy, over the top hit-man. The chemistry between the two and the amazing non-stop action make this movie a pretty entertaining one, but the predictability and rushed story take too much away to make it the kind of film that keeps audiences buzzing after it's over.

Parker

Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, & Michael Chiklis

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jason Statham is THE action hero of generation X, and may be one of the best action heroes of all time. The man seems to channel elements of Willis, Stallone, & Schwarzenegger into every film he does, not to mention he is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. At first his films got a reputation for moving too fast and being a bit confusing, but with every film, he has gotten better and better, and to date his crowning achievement is Parker. Parker is a thief for hire, one of the best money can buy. When an old friend hooks him up with an ambitious crew, Parker is eager to get started on a job, that promises seven figures. The job goes off without a hitch, but on the way back the crew lets Parker know that this was just seed money for a much larger and almost impossible job. When Parker refuses to partake, he winds up left for dead on the side of the road, with only one thing on his mind, revenge. This film puts a new twist on a classic story and it is done to near perfection by a top star and veteran Director, Taylor Hackford (Ray, The Devil's Advocate). Statham makes the story with his best performance to date and has plenty of help to ensure this movie is his crown jewel. The list of Emmy and Academy Award winners is this film is staggering. I won't list them all, as you can see the full cast on IMDB, but when you put that many stars together, the result is almost always going to be magic. In the end the film does turn out to be somewhat predictable, but it's one of those times where you really just don't care. Parker is two hours of excitement with all the comedy, explosions, twists, and turns you could hope for. I can't possibly recommend it enough for fans of the Action genre. In an Action film it's hard to get a good cast and even harder to get a decent story to go with the mayhem, but Parker has that an more. It is a textbook example of what an Action film should be and I really liked it.

Legends Never Die

Starring: Bruno Sammartino & Roddy Piper

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

This acclaimed documentary was supposed to be about all the untimely deaths in the professional wrestling industry. Since 1980, over 100 wrestlers have died under the age of 45, some from straight drug overdoses, others from age related disease. This is the wrestling documentary I've been waiting for, for a very long time, but it isn't what it's advertised to be. The film is hosted by the legendary Roddy Piper, filmed as he and Bruno Sammartino prepare to do a meet and greet at the Hard Rock Cafe. On the way they get to talking and for almost the entire film, they discuss how people perceive wrestling as fake, when the only thing per-determined is the outcome. The former Superstars go on and on about how the moves are spontaneous and the risks and injuries are 100% real. It gets to be very repetitive after a while. They also spend much of the film bashing their former employer, Vince McMahon, and blame him for wrestling's transformation from a real sport to a soap opera. They have a point there, but honestly, this film was nothing like what was advertised. The untimely death of these wrestlers was only mentioned in the last 10 minutes, and both former stars refused to say straight out that performance enhancing drugs were the reason, after all they weren't in the WWE Hall of Fame yet when this film was made. What also hurts the film is that it wasn't sanctioned or produced by any affiliated wrestling company and therefore had very little footage to show. We saw lots of pictures, but for the most part it was watching these guy having a conversation in their limo. Don't be fooled by the cool cover, the description on the back, or even by the terrific preview I saw on Youtube, before watching this film. It is as boring as any documentary you've been forced to watch in school.

Mud (2012)

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, & Tye Sheridan

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Mud is a strange coming of age story, where one boy learns that love isn't forever and that friendship comes in many different forms. Critics and fans on the movie sites I go to have been raving about this film, so I had to check it out and chime in. I agree with those who say that newcomer, Tye Sheridan, gives an amazing performance, but as for the rest of the film, I think it leaves something to be desired. While out exploring, two boys meet a strange man named Mud, stranded on an island. This man is full of stories and needs the boys help to reconnect with his girlfriend and leave the island. For starters, the film is full of inconsistencies. Mud is starving and needs these boys to bring him food, but somehow, he always has a cigarette in his mouth. One or two things could be overlooked, but the inconsistencies fill up this film. While it's a good story, there isn't a lot of substance to it and the film moves at a snails pace, another thing that tends to turn viewers away. The best thing to do would have been to use flashbacks in Mud's stories to fill the time, instead there are a lot of symbolic scenes of people lost in thought, the business of the town, the kids hanging out, it was very methodical, but also very dull. Matthew McConaughey plays Mud and does a decent job, the problem doesn't lie with him. The film is based on this guy, and for a character with such an interesting past, he really is a sad, dull guy. The only real positive I took away from this film was Tye Sheridan, who plays one of the boys. He does a tremendous job as he starts to realize that love isn't everlasting. To see how this character matures from the beginning of the film to the end, is really remarkable, but it's not unique. Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen similar stories, where the film is much more interesting and the same thing ends up happening. Mud is ambitious and may be the start of a long career for two young actors, but ultimately it's long, slow, and forgettable.

Elysium

Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, & Alice Braga

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From the Writer/Director of District 9, comes Elysium, a futuristic tale that focuses on the inequality of wealth. Much like in his first film, Neill Blomkamp is examining a modern problem with a futuristic story, and once again, he isn't offering any solutions. As with District 9, Blomkamp is showing how an unsolved issue, left to it's own devices, will eventually cause chaos. In 2154, Earth is overpopulated and in ruins. The rich have built a utopian society on the largest space station ever conceived, and as you may have guessed, it's called Elysium. The story focuses on Max, an orphan and ex-con, who has always dreamed of living in paradise on Elysium. His plans to earn his way take a dramatic turn, when he is injured in an accident at work. Max knows he'll never survive on Earth and the only way to save his life is to get some of the advanced medical treatment available on Elysium. The two stories are very different, but the setting could have been exactly the same. The story itself was pretty good, there was a lot more action then in District 9, yet the similarities are unmistakable. Matt Damon stars and played the role he was asked to play. Max had a lot of potential to be an interesting character, perhaps one with an agenda, instead he was written as this dumb guy, who was anything but a savior to the people of Earth. Max was out to save himself and did what was necessary to survive, but he should have been more. The people all turned to Max to help solve a greater problem, but all he cared about was himself. Jodie Foster also stars, but has a surprisingly small role, that definitely did not fit her personality. Much like District 9 before it, the story of Elysium is used as a forum for the Writers agenda. The two stories are very different, but the technology, locations, and even several cast members are the same. The result is a slightly better movie than District 9, that will give you an eerie feeling of deja vu throughout.

Cobb

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl, & Lolita Davidovich

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Ty Cobb is in the top five of the greatest players in Baseball history. In fact, he was the first man elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but there has never been a film about his life. While Cobb was a great baseball player and one the toughest men to ever live, he was also an outspoken racist, who was quick to fight anyone, including his wife and kids. In 1960, a dying Cobb contacted sportswriter, Al Stump to ask him to tell his story. That is what I thought this critically acclaimed film would be, but it wasn't. While the title is Cobb, the film is really about Al Stump and what it was like to spend time with the great Ty Cobb, after he'd completely lost his faculties. While it wasn't the film I'd hoped it would be, Tommy Lee Jones gave the performance of a lifetime. What can you say about Jones that hasn't already been said? He is the best actor in Hollywood and can play absolutely anyone. Jones was very convincing, showing Cobb as a deeply troubled man who covered his shame with outrageous behavior. In recent years, since the passing of Al Stump, many people who knew Cobb have come out saying the book and film were overly exaggerated, but even so, the facts about Cobb are well documented. Cobb is not the film most people expected it to be and it ranks among the biggest flops in box office history. The story however is one you haven't heard before and is performed admirably by an all-star cast. This is not your typical baseball movie, but rather a moving look at a man who was destine to either be a legend or an inmate.