Salt
Australian director Phillip Noyce, now resident in America, has to his credit such terrific movies as ‘Dead Calm’ (1989), ‘Patriot Games’ (1992) and ‘Clear and Present Danger’ (1994). Noyce’s latest movie, ‘Salt’, is another fantastic political thriller. A long hidden Russian ‘mole’ is activated, whose mission is to assassinate the President of the United States, and thus set off a nuclear war. The plot is totally engrossing, and the action throughout the movie is top-notch. Angelina Jolie stars, as a much hassled CIA Agent, and it is the kind of thing she does extremely well. Angelina has many surprising ‘looks’ in the movie, and whether blonde or brunette, she is just tremendous. At the end of the movie it is pretty clear that ‘Salt 2’ will soon be on its way.
Centurion
This Roman Epic, directed by Neil Marshall, is set in England in the year 117 AD. A battalion of Roman soldiers are ordered to suppress the Picts, but, as they proceed into Scotland, the Picts retreat further and further into the highlands, letting the cold, snow and sleet do its work. Exhausted, only a few soldiers survive a Pict ambush, and, as they make their way back to safety, the Picts follow in ruthless pursuit. The movie is a telling study into the psychology of warfare, and it contains superb locations and photography, plus exceptional performances from a new batch of emerging British stars.
Burning Bright
An evil step-father, lumbered with a step-daughter and an autistic step-son, wants to get his hands on their dead mother’s property, and the children’s life-insurances, so that he can turn their ranch into a Safari Park. Using the excuse of an approaching hurricane, he boarders up the house, and then places in the house a starving tiger. After scurrying off to a local bar, he waits for the tiger to do its thing. Director Carlos Brooks comes up with many inventive ways for the step-daughter and step-son to fend off the tiger’s attacks. Basically, the movie is a B Grade ‘thriller-filler’, but it will have you glued to the edge of your seat, sweating from suspense and tension.
Marmaduke
The world’s most lovable Great Dane leaps from comic strip fame to the big screen, in this engaging movie. When Marmaduke’s family moves to a new home in Orange County, Marmaduke has to learn how to adapt to his new laid-back Californian lifestyle. Not very successfully. But, with the help of some new canine friends, he quickly adjusts. Tom Dey makes an amusing computer-manipulated comedy, which children and dog lovers of all ages are going to adore. Owen Wilson, with many other surprising actors, provide all the animal voices. Whatever you do, don’t miss the closing production number, when all the doggies launch into a frisky routine of break dancing!
The Karate Kid
The original movie was made in 1984, but, this is a re-make that really works. The setting has been transferred to China, which probably makes more sense Karate wise, and some of the material has been revised to be more applicable to contemporary youths. However, the main plot line, which concerns a teenage boy who is beset by bullies until an unlikely mentor, the handyman in his apartment house, teaches him all about self-confidence and karate, is still there. Mercifully, much less sentimental than the original schmaltz! It goes without saying that the locations in which the teenager does some of his training are absolutely stunning and breathtaking. Jackie Chan’s glory days as a Kung Fu Fighter are well and truly behind him, but, Jackie has been able to re-invent himself as an excellent comedic character actor, and in this film, as the wise old handyman, Jackie is extremely good.
The City of Your Final Destination
A Merchant Ivory Production always signifies a serious film adaptation of a popular novel, set in an exotic locale, and featuring top-line production values, and actors. That’s pretty much the case with their latest movie. Based on a best-seller by Peter Cameron, a biographer wants to do a book on a famous Latin American writer, and he travels to some god forsaken place in South America to get permission from the writer’s wife, mistress, and brother. All executors of the deceased writer’s estate. Director James Ivory, and actors Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally, and Hiroyuki Sanada, put us through a hell of a lot of blah, blah, blah, before they finally get around to signing the necessary legal papers.
Cemetery Junction
After his not too successful sojourn in the United States, British writer and director Ricky Gervais returns to England to work on material he knows best. His latest kitchen-sink drama is set in the 1970s, in a backwater British town. Three blue-collar lads want to flee this environment, but, family duties and a lack of commitment, continually stop them from doing that. The film tries to be a slice-of-life, and, I guess its okay, if you like that kind of thing.
The Girl who Played with Fire
As a follow-up to the highly successful ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, this movie comes as a bitter disappointment. The movie has none of the originality of its predecessor. This time around the Dubious Journalist is investigating a case of human trafficking, while the Tattooed Girl delves into some of the mysteries of her past. None of which are satisfactorily resolved.
