New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

The Big Lebowski

As I’ve written before, I’m usually a fan of any film made by the Coen brothers.  It’s been repeatedly brought to my attention, though, that one of my shortcomings as a Coens fan is the fact that I hadn’t seen one of their hallmark films, The Big Lebowski. The movie is quite eccentric, even for the Coens (and that’s saying something), but it has found a cult following that likely exceeds all their other work.  So, to rectify my deficiency, last Saturday night while Heather was at work my friend Josh and I rented the movie.  What we found was a movie that was one of the most bizarre films I’d ever seen, but an undeniably enjoyable experience.

The movie centers around The Dude (Jeff Bridges).  Real name Jeffery Lebowski, The Dude is an unemployed, perpetually high slacker who spends most of his time bowling with a couple of his friends – Walter (John Goodman), a Vietnam vet with rage issues, and Donny (Steve Buscemi), a dim-witted doormat.  A case of mistaken identity gets The Dude in over his head, though, when men break into his house seeking to extract money from the free-spending trophy wife of a local millionaire who also happens to be named Jeffery Lebowski.  After The Dude heads to see the other Lebowski in an effort to get his rug replaced, he finds that Lebowski’s wife has been kidnapped, and Lebowski enlists The Dude as the delivery man in her ransom.  This starts The Dude on a crazy journey as he meets one bizarre character after another in an attempt to save the woman – and his own skin.

If you’ve seen a Coen film like Fargo with all its eccentricities, perhaps the best way I know to describe Lebowski is to imagine that film with the quirky factor cranked up to eleven, as the Spinal Tap guys might say.  Every character is a sight to behold, from the aforementioned leads to supporting characters like Lebowski’s on-edge butler (Philip Seymour Hoffman), his artist daughter (Julianne Moore), and a crazy pedophile bowler named Jesus (John Turturro, who may never have played a normal person in a movie in his life).   The film’s best moments are its character moments, with the Coens’ clever dialogue and eye for the absurd on full display throughout.  However, the narrative that strings the characters together feels thin throughout, and the downside of having such out-there characters is the fact that they can often be difficult to invest in.  This results in a movie that carries the audience along from dry joke to dry joke with some serious slow points in-between.  In the end, it was more engaging listening to Sam Elliott’s stranger talk about the tale than it was watching the tale itself.  This is a movie, though, that is worth the price of admission simply for the cast of characters that only the Coen brothers could put onscreen.  Fair warning – the movie is profanity-laden throughout (if you’ve seen Fargo, you know about what to expect) and there are several scenes involving nudity as well.  This is a movie that will certainly have a niche audience (that’s the definition of a cult film, after all), but if you get that niche, you’ll have a good time.  – *** (out of 4)

The Big Lebowski is rated R for pervasive strong language, drug content, sexuality and brief violence.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Land of the Lost

Last weekend, we spent a few days in Illinois with my friend Corey and his family.  Sunday afternoon, we sat down to watch a movie, and Corey raved about last summer’s Will Ferrell vehicle Land of the Lost.   Every review I’d read of the film was some variation on “awful,” and Corey’s cinematic taste hasn’t always matched up with mine (the three hours I spent watching Brazil remain among the most puzzling of my life), but we decided to give it a whirl.  I’m actually glad we did.  When it was over, Heather remarked “That might be the worst movie I actually enjoyed watching.”  That sums it up pretty well – I don’t know that I can call Land of the Lost a good movie, but it was fun.

The remake of the 70’s TV show stars Ferrell as Dr. Rick Marshall, an eccentric paleontologist with a bizarre theory about time warps holding the key to the future of humanity.  After a less than stellar interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show, Marshall descends into obscurity, ridiculed by the scientific community.  He’s approached one day by research assistant Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), who believes in his theory and has been inspired by his work.  She convinces him to build his time traveling device, eventually landing them in an alternate dimension – along with an unwitting amusement park worker (Danny McBride).  Once there, they struggle to survive the world’s bizarre environment and fight to stop Marshall’s work from being used to start an interdimensional war.

Yep, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds – intentionally so.  Perhaps no movie I’ve ever seen takes itself less seriously than Land of the Lost does.  That’s a good thing, and Ferrell’s humor is a nice fit for it.  His shtick is starting to get a little old – and it feels that way at times here – but in short bursts there are still few actors who are funnier.  Most of Ferrell’s movies have the feel of a giant inside joke to which we are outside observers, and this one is no different.  Sometimes they work (Blades of Glory), sometimes they don’t (Anchorman), and while Land of the Lost is somewhere in the middle, it’s closer to the former than the latter.  The whole film has a nice camp feel, and while some of the special effects are digital and pretty good (the T-rex and the brilliantly realized landscapes come to mind), some purposefully evoke the dated vibe of the old show (such as the reptilian Sleestak creatures).  It all combines to give the film a surrealist feel, and something about that tone paired with the comedic style just works.  It takes a while to get going (it wasn’t until about 30 minutes or so in that I started to really enjoy it), but once it establishes itself it’s not a bad quirky little comedy.  Fair warning to those who fondly remember watching the show on Saturday mornings – this movie isn’t for kids.  The content earns every bit of its PG-13 and pushes it a bit in spots.  It’s not on the level of a Judd Apatow comedy, but some viewers might find the language and sexual content a bit much, especially for a movie inspired by a kids’ show.  All-in-all, though, while Land of the Lost won’t be making anybody’s ten-best list and it won’t be a hit for everyone, if you aren’t already sick of Will Ferrell it’s worth a rental. – *** (out of 4)

Land of the Lost is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Down With Love

Last week, I didn’t get around to posting a featured film. So this week, I’ll jump on the Valentine’s Day train a little late and post a rom-com for any couples looking to rent something this weekend. Director Peyton Reid’s 2003 comedy Down With Love flew under the radar during it’s original release, but it went down as one of my favorite romantic comedies to date. Playing off of the Rock Hudson/Doris Day sex comedies of the 60s with brilliant effect, Down With Love pays homage to the genre while staying clever, stylish, and unique.

It’s the 1960s, and feminist author Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger) is turning society upside down with her new book, Down With Love. She advocates women abandoning the girlish dreams that have put them behind in the workplace and using their intelligence and sexuality to take control of their lives. This infuriates writer and suave, swingin’ ladies’ man Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor), who makes it his mission to go undercover and romance Barbara, writing an expose that proves she’s a fraud who only wants what every other woman does. Catcher begins romancing Barbara and starts to reel her in, only to find that his feigned feelings start to run a little deeper than he’d planned.

Sure, the setup isn’t far from all the other romantic comedies out there, but let’s be frank – it is arguably the most formulaic genre out there. Where Down With Love soars is in the execution of the material. The film absolutely nails the style and feel of its inspiration, with the whole 60s vibe carrying over in characterization, cinematography, pacing and tone. Reed does such a good job helming this picture that you could drop Hudson and Day in instead of McGregor and Zellweger and they’d be a perfect fit. That said, both of the leads are fantastic, as is their supporting cast – especially David Hyde Pierce of Frasier fame as Catcher’s right-hand man. The musical choices nail the period, and there’s even an infectiously catchy musical number at the end sung by the two leads (who, incidentally, were both coming off performances in hit musicals). The movie is funny, charming, and simply one of those experiences that just leaves you with a big smile on your face when it’s over. I’m not a big fan of most romantic comedies, but this one is pitch-perfect. My only caveat in this review is the fact that my then-girlfriend-now-wife Heather really didn’t care for it. It put us in a bit of role-reversal mode, but I still maintain that this is a fantastic movie that deserved far more of an audience than it got. If you and your significant other find yourself looking for a rental this weekend, give this one a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, even if my wife disagrees. – **** (out of 4)

Down With Love is rated PG-13 for sexual humor and dialogue.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Finding Nemo

My little girl is now at that age where she becomes absolutely enthralled by movies.  As in, wants to watch the same movie over and over and over again.  This fact has the very real possibility of driving Heather and I absolutely insane, depending on what movies she attaches herself to.  Thankfully, her favorite as of late has been Pixar’s classic Finding Nemo.  We’ve watched “Meemo” more times over the past couple weeks than I care to count, but seeing the movie for the first time(s) in quite a while has reminded my how great it is and just why I still consider it the greatest animated film ever made.

For the uninitiated, Nemo (voice of Alexander Gould) is a clownfish, and the only son of Marlin (Albert Brooks).  After a tragic beginning to his life left Nemo without his mom and with a gimpy fin, Marlin has become the most overprotective father in the ocean.  Nemo is growing up and ready to start school, which has Marlin absolutely terrified.  Nemo comes to resent his dad’s doting, and one day an act of defiance gets him nabbed by a diver, who whisks him away on a boat right before his dad’s eyes.  While Nemo adjusts to life in a dentist’s fishtank, Marlin , aided by an absent minded fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), frantically crosses the ocean in search of his lost son, meeting countless colorful creatures along the way.

Director Andrew Stanton, who also helmed 2008’s excellent WALL-E and has contributed in some form to just about every Pixar film, balances humor, emotion, and visual magnificence to create a flat-out masterpiece.  Like all of Pixar’s work, this movie is inhabited by real characters, not just cartoon cutouts.  By the end of the movie, I find myself deeply moved by the story of a fish father and son, whether it’s my first viewing or my 50th.  You’ll quickly find yourself seeing past the fins and gills and looking at characters that are endearing because of just how real the seem.  The voice cast deserves major kudos, with DeGeneres turning in a particularly good performance and the cast of characters inhabiting the dentist’s tank – which includes Willem Dafoe, Allison Janney, and Brad Garrett – ensuring that the film doesn’t miss a beat when its focus transitions from Marlin to Nemo.  There are some brilliantly sly and funny moments (the movie’s ending induces a grin every time I see it), but kids will find it just as funny as adults thanks to some great slapstick moments as well.  If you’ve got kids – or heck, even if you don’t – you owe it to your family to see this movie.  If you’ve got to watch a movie over and over and over again, it might as well be this one. – **** (out of 4)

Finding Nemo is rated G.

Last night, the long-awaited final season of Lost kicked off on ABC.  Heather and I spent the last six months getting all caught up on the show thanks to Xbox Live and ABC.com so that we can watch the final season as it happens (something we’ve never done with Lost before).  Last night’s premiere packed a lot into it’s two-hour running time, and I’ve got a few comments to make on the whole situation.  So, SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t yet watched the episode, and if you have, I’d love to get your take in the comments.  Here’s what I thought…

1.  The big question from the end of season 5 was whether or not Farraday’s H-bomb plan would work.  From last night, it would appear that it did and didn’t.  The episode followed two different realities, offering no explanation for what was happening (other than Juliet’s cryptic postmortem “it worked”).  It would appear that we’re seeing two alternate realities, one in which the survivors are still on the island and one in which they never crashed there at all.  I must confess, this has me feeling a little disappointed.  Is J.J. Abrams really all out of ideas?  His other current TV show Fringe is exploring the whole alternate reality thing, as did his take on Star Trek last summer.  Both have been good, but sooner or later using the same plot device over and over just starts to get a little old, especially when it’s used in an attempt to be thought provoking.  Now granted, the whole setup hasn’t been explained and Abrams and Co. may well do something really cool and fresh with the concept, but for now I’m just not sure it was the best move – and I’ve been onboard with all the time-travel/flashback/flashforward craziness of the first five seasons (which, seeing it all presented together in that hour-long recap special, you realize is completely nuts).  I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though. 

2.  That CG sequence of the island at the bottom of the ocean was just awful.  Obviously, TV budgets just don’t allow for CGI that matches what we’ve come to expect from movies, but if used wisely it can still blend somewhat seamlessly into the experience (see Firefly for proof).  Plainly put, if you don’t have the resources to do it really well, then don’t try to do a huge, epic shot.  Better small and good than big and bad.  Those fifteen seconds were just a mess.

3.  The best part of the episode?  The Jacob/Man in Black material.  Terry O’Quinn is doing a superb job portraying Bizarro Locke/Smoke Monster/Man in Black.  He’s really taken on a terrifying new persona, and his acting chops really shine when you watch a scene of this new character shortly after a scene of old Locke chatting with Jack in an airport.  He keeps this up, and an Emmy may be in his future.  It’s going be really interesting to see just how this story unfolds.  Heather was talking last night about her hunch that the two of them are a play on the God/Satan motif, and I can definitely see the parallels.  The religious imagery has been pretty blatant for a while, and it was kicked up a notch last night with a giant ankh (an Egyptian symbol for eternal life) being pulled out of Jacob’s guitar case.  I’ll be interested to see the point of it all unfold.

All-in-all, the premiere was just OK for me, but obviously it was just the beginning of the unraveling of the Lost mysteries.  Perhaps I expected a bit too much.  I’m certainly looking forward to seeing where they go from here.  What did you think?

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Road to Perdition

With 2010 kicking off a brand new decade, everybody and their mother has been putting out a “best of the decade” list for every imaginable category.  IGN, a great entertainment website, is in the midst of making their picks for the best movies and video games of the past ten years, listing a top ten for each individual year before compiling the best of the best.  As I read through their list, it’s been fun to think back about some real gems that I haven’t revisited in a while.  One of those films is Sam Mendes’ superb 2002 drama Road to Perdition, one of my personal favorites.  A great story of fathers and sons rounded out by an absolutely stellar cast, this is a movie that should be required viewing for any film fan.

Set in the Capone mob era of 1930’s Illinois, Road to Perdition tells the story of Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), an enforcer for Irish-American boss John Rooney (Paul Newman in his final onscreen role).  The orphaned Sullivan was taken in as a boy by Rooney, whose fatherly provision helped Sullivan to establish a life and family of his own, with his seedy work hidden away from his two sons.  One night, his curious older son Michael Jr. stows away in his car on a job, only to witness his dad’s partner, Rooney’s son Connor (Daniel Craig), gun down a man in cold blood.  Worried that the boy will spill the secret, Connor comes after him and forces the two Sullivans to flee for their lives.  With a psychopathic hitman (Jude Law) dispatched by the mob to take them out, the elder Sullivan must find a way to keep his son alive and end the cycle of violence, giving his son a chance at a good life. 

While you could certainly describe Road to Perditionas a mob movie, this certainly isn’t Goodfellas or The Untouchables in tone or subject matter.  The focus here is intensely personal, exploring the nature of the relationship between fathers and sons and the toll that violence takes on the human soul.  Essentially, this this a movie about three sets of fathers and sons – the two Sullivans, the two Rooneys, and the adoptive father-son relationship between Hanks and Newman’s characters.  Each relationship explores a different dynamic, and they all add to an emotional climax that cuts to the core at what it means to be a father.  With such a focus on characters, it goes without saying that the film is only as strong as its cast – and in this case, that’s high praise.  All the heavy-hitters are in top form here, with a supporting cast of character actors like Stanley Tucci and Ciaran Hinds rounding things out and providing a cast of characters that feels truly authentic.  The source material for the movie is taken from a graphic novel, and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall (also his final film) does a beautiful job of lighting and framing each shot to create a visual masterpiece that sets the tone for the film’s action and is a subtle treat for the eyes.  Composer Thomas Newman’s score is beautiful and deeply haunting.  Mendes ties it all together in a pitch-perfect package.  There’s really not anything negative that I can say about this movie.  If I were to compile a ten-best of the decade, Road to Perdition would certainly be on it.  If you haven’t seen it, it should be at the front of your to-watch list.  It’s a masterpiece in every sense of the word. – **** (out of 4)

Road to Perdition is rated R for violence and language.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Collateral

Tom Cruise is crazy. You’ve heard all the jokes, watched him jump on Oprah’s couch, and know all the Scientology stuff. What you may not have noticed is that the crazier he’s got, the better actor he’s become. Cruise’s work over the last ten years has included several films that go down on my list of all-time favorites, from the brilliant sci-fi masterpiece Minority Report to the sweeping historical epic The Last Samurai. One of his real gems in that run that sort of got lost in the shuffle is the 2004 thriller Collateral, in which Cruise takes a rare villainous turn as a cold-blooded hitman. If you haven’t seen it and you’re in the mood for a smartly made thrill-ride this weekend, it just might be the film for you.

Jamie Foxx stars as Max, an L.A. cabbie with a sharp mind but little self-confidence. While driving the overnight shift, he picks up Vincent (Cruise), a businessman with a briefcase who offers him $500 to be his personal chauffer for the evening, making five stops around the city. Max reluctantly agrees, but his feelings change when, while waiting at the first stop, a body falls onto the cab from a window. Panicked, Max quickly realizes the reality of the situation. Vincent is a hitman, and his five stops are five hits. Now a hostage, Max must drive Vincent to his remaining four destinations while looking for a chance to escape.

While director Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat) sounds all the right notes to build tension over the course of the film, it’s actually the two lead characters who make the movie so engaging. Cruise is surprisingly effective as a villain, playing Vincent as a confident professional with nerves of steel and a stone-cold heart. Foxx is even better playing against type. Though he usually dons some variation on a cool-cat persona, he makes Max incredibly believable as an awkward loner. Everything about his performance, from his speech and mannerisms to even his physicality (his body language makes it impossible to forget throughout that Max is a cab driver, not an action hero), sells the character. His Oscar nomination was well-deserved (though how the role qualifies as a supporting performance, I don’t get). These two characters, placed in a well-written story and a stylishly-shot film, make for an entertaining ride (pun very much intended). Whether you’re a Cruise fan or not, if you like a good thriller you definitely need to check this film out. It’s rare to find a thriller that makes you emotionally invest in the characters, but Collateral certainly does, and it’s better for it. – ***1/2 (out of 4)

Collateral is rated R for violence and language.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

No Country For Old Men

The Coen brothers just flat-out know how to make movies. The duo has teamed to make some excellent films with rich characters that span multiple genres. In 2007, their efforts finally resulted in an Oscar win for their thriller No Country For Old Men.  I’ve been wanting to see it for a while, but Heather wasn’t all that interested in it, so it sat on the backburner for a bit. One night last week while she was working, I finally borrowed it from a friend and sat down to see if the film lived up to all its hype. I don’t think it did, but it certainly was a very well made film that held my attention from start all the way to its much-discussed finish.

The movie largely revolves around three central characters in 1980 Texas. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a poor everyman, stumbles upon the scene of a drug deal gone wrong while out hunting in the desert. Among the bodies, he discovers a bag with two million dollars in it and takes it. He soon finds himself hunted, though, by coldly efficient hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who tracks him ruthlessly. Seeking to make sense of the whole situation is local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a world-weary sheriff who bemoans the declining state of his little corner of Texas. These three are involved in a cat and mouse game as Moss tries to escape with the cast, Chigurh tries to reclaim it, and Bell tries to find them both as the body count rises.

From the perspective of technique, this film is nearly flawless. The Coens build mood like no one else, and the tension that they manage to maintain throughout the film’s length is tremendous. Once we see what Chigurh can do (and boy did Bardem ever deserve that Oscar), he becomes an almost otherworldy forboding presence. He and the Coens (thanks of course to novelist Comac McCarthy) create a villain that ranks among the most frightening to ever grace the screen, and they use him to pitch-perfect effect. Chigruh is stone-cold, and every moment he’s on the screen I found myself hanging on every subtle part of Bardem’s portrayal while gripping my seat a little more tightly. The movie’s got a good flow to it as well, hardly surprising to those familiar with the Coen’s work. Deliberately paced yet brutally tense, the running time feels just right. Then, there’s the ending. I won’t go into detail if you haven’t heard it discussed already, but I imagine it’s about as polarizing an ending as you’re likely to see in a movie. It’s going to work for some people and not work for others. I think I’m in the latter camp. At first it left me simply confused, but after further reflection I think I get a pretty good sense of why they did what they did. I just don’t think it was particularly effective. This makes it extremely difficult for me to review. For me, there’s no more important part to a film than the ending – a lousy ending can ruin a great movie (ahem, Identity) and a brilliant ending can elevate a lesser one (such as the original Saw) – so though I really liked the movie as a whole, the striking lack of cohesion the ending creates really keeps me from fully embracing it. It’s certainly worth watching, and I can even understand calling it a masterpiece. It is indeed masterfully crafted. It’s just one of those masterpieces that’s better off hanging in a gallery than on anyone’s living room wall. – *** (out of 4)

No Country For Old Men is rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

Hot Fuzz

Back in 2004, a British comedy called Shaun of the Dead made its way across the Atlantic and found an audience here in the U.S.. I was in college at the time, and my roommates and I absolutely loved the film’s brilliantly clever mash up of romantic comedy and apocalyptic zombie thriller. I considered Shaun perhaps my favorite comedy of all time. Then, in 2007, the team of director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunited for Hot Fuzz, a send-up of buddy cop movies. Hard as it is to say, it’s actually better than their first outing. I watched it again over the holidays with my sister-in-law, and there are few comedies out there that hold up as well over multiple viewings.

Pegg (who has found an increasing audience in the U.S. with roles in Mission: Impossible III and Star Trek) stars as Nicholas Angel, a supercop from London who is without question and in every aspect the finest officer in the service. Concerned about his excellence making them look bad, his superiors assign him to a sergeant’s position in the sleepy country village of Sandford. None-too-happy about his reassignment, Angel adjusts to crime-free life in the country, his laid-back new boss (Jim Broadbent), and his dim-witted, action-movie obsessed new partner Danny (Frost). However, all is not well in Sandford. During a series of seemingly freak accidents, Angel is convinced there is a killer on the loose. With the rest of the village skeptical, Angel begins and investigation to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings.

The biggest difference between a Pegg/Frost/Wright parody and most others is the fact that these guys actually love and admire the films they’re sending up. Rather than the cheap and dumb gags of the Scary Movie series, Hot Fuzz mocks the conventions of buddy action films while simultaneously paying homage to them.  The film is staged and shot as if it is one of the movies it’s skewering, and there are countless subtle bits of humor to go along with some of the more over-the-top gags.  Pegg and Frost are excellent as the lead pair once again, and they get nice support from the rest of the cast, headlined by Broadbent and James Bond himself, Timothy Dalton, as a semi-shady supermarket owner.  The film is extremely well-written by Wright and Pegg, providing some great sequences of witty banter throughout.  The movie’s highlight, though, is it’s no-holds-barred third act, when – much like Shaun of the Dead – it turns into a barrage of well-shot action.  Don’t think that means that the funny stops, however, as the film’s carefully executed buildup makes the last 30 minutes one of the funniest stretches I’ve ever seen put on film.  The language in this one is pretty strong and the movie is filled with the same over-the-top gore that marked Shaun, so if you’re squeamish or easily put off by profanity you’ll probably want to take a pass here.  Otherwise, I don’t see many people watching Hot Fuzz and not being entertained.  It earns my highest recommendation. – **** (out of 4)

Hot Fuzz is rated R for for violent content including some graphic images, and language.

Those who read my movie reviews regularly have likely noticed the fact that Heather and I are big fans of Asian cinema. Zhang Yimou’s Hero is one of our favorite films of all time, and while we’ve been disappointed with some recent imports (I’m talking to you, Curse of the Golden Flower), the beautiful artistry that marks wuxia filmmaking always catches our attention. It’s no surprise, then, that ever since we saw the trailer for John Woo’s historical epic Red Cliff a few months ago we’ve been anxiously counting down to its release. The movie opened back in November in limited release and it finally landed in Louisville over the holidays, so last night we got a babysitter and headed out to see it. We were not disappointed.

Red Cliff is a dramatic retelling of the Battle of Red Cliffs, an early 3rd century clash between a power-hungry warlord and the two southern provinces that were the last to resist his rule. As Prime Minister Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) marches his massive army south, noble provincial leader Liu Bei (You Yong) is forced to evacuate his people and flee their superior forces. Facing sure defeat, Liu Bei sends his chief strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) to seek the alliance of rival warlord Sun Quan (Chang Chen). With the young and hesitant Quan noncommittal, Liang turns to Quan’s trusted Viceroy, Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) to cement the alliance and stand for the people of the south. As Cao Cao’s forces close in, the new allies encamp in Yu’s fortress at Red Cliff, setting the stage for a battle that will decide the fate of China.

Red Cliff is directed by John Woo, who American audiences know well from his U.S. action blockbusters such as Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II. I’d never been much of a fan, finding Woo’s films long on stylish action but short on character and plot. Woo proves a far superior director in his native land. Red Cliff is the first Chinese film he’s made since coming to America more than fifteen years ago, and he does a superb job of helming an action epic that is breathtaking in its scope without losing sight of the characters who inhabit it. Leung (Hero) and Kaneshiro (House of Flying Daggers) are superb in the two leads, and they’re surrounded by a great supporting cast. The battle sequences are simply amazing – Red Cliff was the most expensive film in Asian cinematic history, and every bit was worth it. This is the Chinese equivalent of The Lord of the Rings, with massive, awe-inspiring battles and a truly weighty feel. As the heroes bunkered down in their fortress and waited for the enemy’s arrival, my mind was instantly reminded of the palpable tension leading up to the climactic battle in The Two Towers. The only negative with the film had more to do with what wasn’t on screen than what was. In Asia, Red Cliff was released as two films running a total of 288 minutes. The U.S. version is condensed into one movie running a little over two-and-a-half hours. You can definitely feel that some material is missing, especially over the first hour. Watching the characters interact, I got the unmistakable impression that there was more going on behind the scenes that we didn’t see. However, it didn’t hurt the experience for me, it just got me very excited to grab the international version when the movie releases on DVD/Blu-ray in March. In short, it left me satisfied but wanting more all at the same time – truly the mark of a movie well made. If you can find Red Cliff playing in your city, do yourself a favor and see it. Otherwise, hunt for the DVD in a couple months. In its condensed form, it doesn’t dethrone Hero in my book, but it comes pretty close. – **** (out of 4)

Red Cliff is rated R for sequences of epic warfare.