A Year of Zip Movies: April 2012 (belated)
Source Code (2011)
A soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of a stranger and with a voice in his head telling him that he is re-living the last 8 minutes of that man's life as he tries to figure out who bombed a commuter train - and stop another even more deadly attack. We both liked this a lot - it was better than the trailer made it look. A bit like 'Groundhog Day' but with explosions and guns, but if you like the 'infinite possibilities branching out from our choices' thing, you will like this. We did not see the ending coming, but it's not unbelievable. With Michelle Monaghan as the love interest and Vera Farmiga as the soldier's contact in the military. Recommended.
Spartan (2004)
Great cast - Val Kilmer, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, Veronica Mars Kristen Bell, Derek Luke - and written and directed by David Mamet, this is the story of a special ops officer who are assigned to find the missing daughter of a high-ranking government official and things get more complicated than expected. A smart movie, it doesn't spell things out heavy-handedly, there are moments you have no idea what is going on (like, the first 15 minutes) but it's compelling and keeps you watching until you have a grasp of what is happening. We had seen it before but couldn't remember all the details - we knew one major thing that made one twist known to us but it in no way ruined the movie. Tense and compelling, the violence is present but not over the top. Recommended.
The Expendables (2010)
Does what it says on the box. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was ridiculous but entertaining - lots of stuff blows up real good. If that's your thing, you'll like this movie. I read a book during some of the fighting sequences but I watched enough to know they were well-choreographed and well-executed.
Mesrine: Partie 1 - L'instinct de mort (Part 1 - Killer Instinct) (2008)
Bio-pic starring Vincent Cassel as the French gangster Jacques Mesrine. He was a soldier in Algeria in the 1950s and embarked on a life of crime in the 60s. Bank robberies, kidnapping, escapes from prison ... this is only part one; I can't imagine what he'll do in part 2! Great performance by Cassel.
Hustle: Season 1 Disc 2 (2004)
We finished up Season 1 of this BBC show about a group of con artists running "long cons"- confidence schemes with long and complicated procedures but great financial returns. Their theory is that you can't con an honest man person; if you put the bait out and they bite, they'll try to reel you in, but if you ignore it they won't go after you. They see themselves as Robin Hood-esque, a bit, but teh poor they give to are themselves. If you like heists and similar schemes, give it a try.
Currently Out from Zip
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Lost in Austen (2008)
Bottle Shock (2008)
What Just Happened (2008)
Army of Shadows (L'armée des ombres) (1969)
[2012: The Road, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Big Night, Pirate Radio (a.k.a. The Boat That Rocked), Return to Cranford, Fair Game, Buried, 10 Items or Less, Megamind, Le deuxième souffle, Source Code, Spartan, The Expendables, Mesrine Part 1, Hustle: Season 1 Disc 2]
A soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of a stranger and with a voice in his head telling him that he is re-living the last 8 minutes of that man's life as he tries to figure out who bombed a commuter train - and stop another even more deadly attack. We both liked this a lot - it was better than the trailer made it look. A bit like 'Groundhog Day' but with explosions and guns, but if you like the 'infinite possibilities branching out from our choices' thing, you will like this. We did not see the ending coming, but it's not unbelievable. With Michelle Monaghan as the love interest and Vera Farmiga as the soldier's contact in the military. Recommended.
Spartan (2004)
Great cast - Val Kilmer, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, Veronica Mars Kristen Bell, Derek Luke - and written and directed by David Mamet, this is the story of a special ops officer who are assigned to find the missing daughter of a high-ranking government official and things get more complicated than expected. A smart movie, it doesn't spell things out heavy-handedly, there are moments you have no idea what is going on (like, the first 15 minutes) but it's compelling and keeps you watching until you have a grasp of what is happening. We had seen it before but couldn't remember all the details - we knew one major thing that made one twist known to us but it in no way ruined the movie. Tense and compelling, the violence is present but not over the top. Recommended.
The Expendables (2010)
Does what it says on the box. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was ridiculous but entertaining - lots of stuff blows up real good. If that's your thing, you'll like this movie. I read a book during some of the fighting sequences but I watched enough to know they were well-choreographed and well-executed.
Mesrine: Partie 1 - L'instinct de mort (Part 1 - Killer Instinct) (2008)
Bio-pic starring Vincent Cassel as the French gangster Jacques Mesrine. He was a soldier in Algeria in the 1950s and embarked on a life of crime in the 60s. Bank robberies, kidnapping, escapes from prison ... this is only part one; I can't imagine what he'll do in part 2! Great performance by Cassel.
Hustle: Season 1 Disc 2 (2004)
We finished up Season 1 of this BBC show about a group of con artists running "long cons"- confidence schemes with long and complicated procedures but great financial returns. Their theory is that you can't con an honest man person; if you put the bait out and they bite, they'll try to reel you in, but if you ignore it they won't go after you. They see themselves as Robin Hood-esque, a bit, but teh poor they give to are themselves. If you like heists and similar schemes, give it a try.
Currently Out from Zip
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Lost in Austen (2008)
Bottle Shock (2008)
What Just Happened (2008)
Army of Shadows (L'armée des ombres) (1969)
[2012: The Road, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Big Night, Pirate Radio (a.k.a. The Boat That Rocked), Return to Cranford, Fair Game, Buried, 10 Items or Less, Megamind, Le deuxième souffle, Source Code, Spartan, The Expendables, Mesrine Part 1, Hustle: Season 1 Disc 2]