Killer Elite:

What do you get when you take three of Hollywood's toughest, tough guys and put them in a thrill a minute action movie based on a shocking true story of espionage, assassination and the law of unintended consequences?  You get, Killer Elite; starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert De Niro this film gives audiences all the plot twists, violence and danger one might expect from a spy vs spy thriller.

Danny (Statham) a mercenary operative who's lost his taste for the kill is called out of retirement to rescue his long time mentor, Hunter (De Niro).  In order to save Hunter he has to kill three former SAS officers.  His hunt brings him into conflict with Spike  (Owen), the chief enforcer for the Feathermen, a secret society of former SAS officials who  try to keep their finger on the pulse of the dark world of espionage.  And predictably, the bodies start hitting the floor.

Director Gary McKendry flawlessly recreates the gritty underbelly of the 1980s for the look and tone of the film.  But while the film is visually 1980s, the action sequences are the powerful, kinetic and brutal choreography we have come to expect from the top tier of modern action movies.

The supporting role of Davies is worth particular mention.  Played by Dominic Purcell, Davies is a mercenary of few scruples but untarnished loyalty.  Purcell will no doubt continue to garner accolades for his work in Killer Elite as well as some of his more memorable roles on TV and film.  Yvonne Strahovski also does great work on screen in a truly anemic role as Danny's love interest.  Certainly a case of under utilizing a tremendous talent, to the detriment of that aspect of plot.

Killer Elite promises audiences an hour and forty five minutes of murderous action and suspense, and it largely delivers.  It's hard for a film to go wrong with three of the strongest names in Hollywood heading up the Marquee, and Killer Elite doesn't go wrong.  Pay the $7 this weekend, Killer Elite is worth it.

Colombiana: Late Summer Hit Unleashes A New Action Star & She's All Woman

Columbiana is a welcome hit and it has audiences shouting for its sexy heroine.  Zoe Saldana sizzles and shines as Cataleya, a beautiful assassin at the top of her game; and her game is revenge, gory, brutal, primal revenge.  Cataleya embodies the chameleon skills of the Talented Mr. Ripley along with the irresistible lethality of Kill Bill's Beatrice.  With her character demanding such an extreme level of physicality as well as the scale and savagery of the relentless action sequences, Saldana would deserve credit for rising to just the physical challenge; but it is the vulnerability and humanity she brings to the role that had audiences truly invested for the duration of this late summer surprise.

Cataleya witnesses the horrific murder of her parents as a child in Bogota and devotes herself to becoming the instrument of her own revenge.  As a woman Cataleya is supported by her mentor and uncle, Emilio (Cliff Curtis) and her grandmother.  Years of searching for vengeance are finally beginning to pay off when a chink in our assassin's emotional armor is revealed in the handsome frame of Danny (Michael Vartan), her artist boyfriend. Soon Cataleya is being hunted not only by the Colombian cartel that killed her family but also by the US Marshals and the FBI.  But as it turns out, chasing this femme-fatale might mean that she's got you right where she wants you.

With Colombiana, Director Olivier Megaton takes the unoriginal but universally entertaining theme of the vengeance quest and re-examines it, and he executes his vision well enough that audiences are treated to perhaps the best action film of the year.  Luc Besson's (producer and writer on the project) kinetic flare can be seen throughout the heart pounding action sequences.

It's the rare action film that can be taken seriously, but this year Colombian joins the handful of those that audiences are taking very, very seriously indeed.  I haven't heard audiences cheer like this since Xmen First Class.  This weekend, do yourself and favor and watch Zoe Saldana in Colombiana.

Conan the Barbarian: Fails to Recapture the Magic

Jason Momoa (of recent Game of Thrones fame) ably fills the fur lined boots of cinema's original barbarian, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in this remake of Conan.  But Momoa's performance and smoldering good looks are as good as the film gets.  Audiences looking for the epic feel, gritty style and amoral tone of the 1982 fantasy classic will leave theatres mildly disappointed.

 Director Marcus Nispel  re-imagines the origin story as tale of searing vengeance; Conan, born into blood and battle, grows into manhood crossing and recrossing the continent of Hyboria seeking the raiders who destroyed his village leaving him orphaned while wreaking havoc along the way.  The film suffers from the lack of real villain against whom our favorite barbarian might test his mettle.  Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang) never exudes the menace necessary to give birth to a force of nature like Conan.  In fact, as evil-doers go, it is his daughter Marique, played flawlessly by Rose McGowan, who raises gooseflesh on audiences. Ron Perlman also makes an appearance in the film, taking on the role of Conan's decidedly non-barbaric father and teacher.

Perhaps the most glaring difference between the remake and the original film is the reincarnation of this barbarian as a man of honor.  Much of the unpredictability of the barbarian is lost once director and writers conspire to give him a conscience.  It no longer seems like the whim of fate, the finger destiny or the inspiration of the gods that propels Conan on his adventures, but rather his own sense of right and wrong.

The film strikes this reviewer as a project that was a lot more fun for cast and crew to make than it was for audiences to watch.  Conan the Barbarian wouldn't be my first choice at the cinemas this weekend, but it's visuals, action sequences and special effects demand to be seen on the big screen.

Crazy Stupid Love: Revive Your Inner Romantic

Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore predictably shine as they lead an impressive ensemble cast in Crazy Stupid Love.  The film re-examines the well worn tale of a mid-life and mid-married-life crisis when Emily (Moore) takes a date night as an opportunity to ask hubby Cal (Carell) for a divorce.  The request sends Cal's middle class life into a tailspin until he meets his new best friend Jacob (Gosling) and learns to reinvent himself as a ladies man.

While the crisis at the centre of this film might be old hat to movie audiences, Crazy Stupid Love looks at romance, love and heartbreak with new eyes. Analeigh Timpton and veteran child actor Jonah Bobo deserve special mention as they steal scenes from their A-list co-stars with regularity.  Marisa Tomei is another top shelf talent who lends her strengths to an over-the-top supporting role.  Her scenes might be the funniest in a fairly funny film.  Kevin Bacon reminds us why it's such a treat to seem him on screen.

The film is perfectly paced.  Like the best of its genre, Crazy Stupid Love has something to say and it says it so well with polished dialog, a rich plot and comedic elements that give a bit more than a wink and nod to the best of Shakespearean comedy.

At a loss for what to watch at the cinemas this weekend?  Crazy Stupid Love won't disappoint.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Hail Caesar

Bravo, audiences are raving and with good reason:  Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a hit, a big, juicy, summer blockbuster smash.

This film gets it all right, outstanding cast, spectacular effects, brilliant story and an epic feel that is absolutely rooted in present day San Fransisco.  James Franco plays Will Rodman, a man of science racing the progression of his father's Alzheimers to find a cure.  One of his lab specimens gives birth to Caesar a very special chimpanzee with genius level IQ.  Andy Serkis is mesmerizing as Caesar, delivering a performance that captures and holds the audience with only 4 lines of dialog.

The danger of re-imagining an iconic film like Rise of the Planet of the Apes lies in the obvious risk of failing to live up to soaring vision of the original.  No worries about that here, Director Rupert Wyatt vision utterly enhances the mythology of the Planet of the Apes.  His visual effects must be seen to be believed.  Wyatt has delivered this decade's Jurassic Park.  He gives us living, expressive apes who are true characters in this compelling story.  And when the bullets start flying, it's not humanity that the audience is cheering for.

As stunning as this movie is visually, enough can't be said about the talented cast who bring the characters both human and simian to life.  Supporting actors Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Frieda Pinto and the incomparable John Lithgow lead audiences through the emotional landscape of the film.  There isn't a simple morality to the film, black hats and white hats are decidedly in the minority.  This film takes a nuanced view of right and wrong, and if there is a central message surely it is that human intelligence demands respect for simple human dignity no matter where it resides.

This movie reminds us why we are fans of the big screen.  If you plan on going to the movies this weekend, or even if you aren't, go see Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Watch this film and you will leave saying "Hail Caesar" just like the rest of us. 

Friends With Benefits: Update Your Fairy-tale

Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake spark across the screen with real heat and chemistry in this tale of best friends who find what they aren't looking right in front of them all along.   One might wonder how a film with multiple naked scenes of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis might fail to be entertaining, but the film is better than just eye candy.  This boilerplate romantic comedy gets a refreshing make-over from director Will Gluck who deals less with the clichéd conflicts between the sexes and embraces the far more complex and challenging territory of friendship, family, sex, sexuality and imperfect love.  This is a Generation X love story, and it shamelessly makes sport of the romantic notions that still inspire our understanding of happily ever-after even as it challenges audiences to realize that we've all updated our fairly-tales for the 21st century.

Timberlake (Dylan) and Kunis (Jamie) play twenty somethings on the cusp of entering their third decade with the notion that true love isn't worth the hassle.  They become friends who play in bed, with absolutely no emotional attachments and, predictably, it all goes well until it doesn't.  During a family visit to LA the casual gets left out of the sex and simmering emotions boil over to threaten the relationship that neither of them will acknowledge has grown beyond friendship.  Timberlake turns in another strong performance that, while not pitch perfect in every instance, is authentic and rich and thoroughly engaging.  Kunis deserves to be billed as the top comedienne of her generation.

The supporting cast in the film help to keep the film upbeat and original.  Woody Harrelson has a great time playing an OUTrageous gay sports editor who acts as a workplace guru for Dylan and Richard Jenkins, who's character suffers from early onset Alzheimers, is a scene stealer in his role as Dylan's father.  In this collection of off-beat but crucial supporting characters Patricia Clarkson is a real stand out.

Friends With Benefits is that rare romantic comedy that can appeal both to men and women, and that's why its audiences are leaving the theatres with big smiles.