Edge of Darkness

For the past decade, Mel Gibson has received more attention for his work behind the camera than in front of it. Passion of the Christ, a powerful film that uses the graphicness of violence inflicted on Jesus to demonstrate the suffering he endured because of his love for humanity, was a box office smash upon its release in 2004. Then he received quite a bit of negative press for such incidents as a receiving a DUI in 2006 and making anti-Semitic remarks to the officer. Now he's back in the spotlight in an acting role, doing an admirable job in a film that draws some comparison to last year's Taken. In this story, however, Gibson's daughter is killed within the first ten minutes of the film, and Gibson's character, Thomas Craven, wants revenge. Will Craven be able to stay level headed in his pursuit of justice or will his quest for retribution be too much for him to handle? This is a pretty good thriller, one I would recommend, but ultimately fogettable in the grand scheme of things.

American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein

There's something about outspoken people that always gets my attention. People who have strong views on things and are not afraid to speak of them in public draws both feelings of irritation and admiration from me. Initially, I'm angry that they don't seem to give a crap about other people's thoughts and feelings when they express them. Then again, maybe I'm just too worried about what people think. Ultimately, I admire them because they are willing to make a stand on something they believe to be the truth and are not swayed by negative comments from others. Norman Finkelstein certainly falls under the outspoken category, and definitely the controversial category as well. A Jew raised by parents who survived the Holocaust, Finkelstein went on to teach at several universities in the United States while expressing critical views on Israel in what he calls the Holocaust Industry. Finkelstein believes Israel must take responsibility for its murder of countless Palestinians and using the memory of the Holocaust to gain immunity from any criticism by other nations on its policies and to further its financial interests. Wherever he speaks, Finkelstein is greeted with hardcore supporters and opponents. Although I have neither ties to Israel nor Palestine, I found it very interesting to watch this man and the way he spread his message. I'm not sure he's somebody I'd have a beer with, but Finkelstein is a great example of a man committed to standing firm even when it's unpopular to do so.

Extraordinary Measures

Harrison Ford is one of those actors who has been in a lot of good movies, but not many great ones (aside from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series). He really deserves to have an Oscar winning role at some point, although he will now have to win it in what might be the final decade of his career. It will not happen for his role in Extraordinary Measures, however, which is another good film with Ford, but far from great. He costars with Brendan Frasier, the latter of whom plays a father desperately trying to save his son and daughter from a disease known as Pompe. All the doctors say there is no cure, so Frasier decides to contact Ford, who plays a researcher trying to develop an enzyme treatment for the disease. There are really no surprises here, but this is a feel-good film that made me aware of a disease I never knew existed. If you think of it, Redbox it next time you shop for groceries.

Date Night

Steve Carrell first caught my attention in Bruce Almighty as a news anchorman who was suddenly controlled by the Godlike powers of Jim Carrey. After the 40 Year Old Virgin and the hilarious TV show The Office, I was hooked on Carrell's brand of humor. Here he teams up with fellow NBC comedian Tiny Fey. Together they play a couple that tries to spice up their marriage by going to a really expensive restaurant. However, when they pretend to be another couple in order to get a table, the evening takes an unexpected turn into a night of danger. I smiled quite a few times during this film and was pleasantly entertained for the evening, which was enough for me to recommend it. This is not a pee-in-your-pants comedy but it is fun, especially for fans of the two leads.

Mystery Team

Mystery Team is a fun film written and starring its three leads: D.C Pierson, Donald Glover and Dominic Dierkes. Its basic premise involves three kid detectives dedicated to solving child-sized mysteries. The kids are now teenagers and about to graduate high school. Is it time to finally put their childish mystery gang to rest? That question is more difficult than it initially appears when a little girl asks them to solve a grown up mystery: find out who killed her parents!

I enjoyed this film, its primary strength being its rapid gags and one-liners. For a movie made by young performers just breaking into the industry, this shows a lot of promise. I was also pleased to see Aubrey Plaza in this film, who I also liked in last year's Funny People.

The filmmakers also informed the audience I was with that they believe their debut feature film rises above their short films because it has good character development and an actual story rather than just being a series of gags. While there is evidence the writers desired to produce these things, I don't think that is why the film works. Like films such as Airplane! or even the Ernest P. Worrell movies, we don't go to see them for a breathtaking story and well-rounded characters. It's the gags, the funny parts, not the tacked-on message. While this was only a one-time viewing movie for me, what good fun that time was!

Yes graphics

Two Lovers (Bob says 2 out of 4)

1. Did I enjoy it? YES
Joaquin Phoenix's alleged final film is actually quite good, which is why it was a shame that he was so spaced out while "promoting it" on The Late Show with Dave Letterman. It follows Leonard, a man with emotional problems and suicidal tendencies who moves back in with his parents after his most recent suicide attempt. A lot of Leonard's troubles seem to stem from a breakup with his girlfriend. Leonard still has romantic possibilities on the horizon however. His parents want him to hook up with the daughter of a potential business partner, whose family happens to be coming over for dinner. Leonard, however, is also enamored with his new neighbor Michelle, who is dating a married man and has as many problems as he does. Who will Leonard end up with? He goes back and forth between both of them in this movie, though I suspected I knew the fate of his relationship with one of them. What I didn't see coming was the last scene. It may have been a compromise to Leonard, but I think he ultimately made the right choice and the better one.

2. Would I watch it again? NO
Nothing against the movie, I might see it if someone else wanted to, but realistically I don't see a lot of repeated viewings for most movies. Only a few at the top of my best of the year lists for the most part.