I wasn't all that excited about this one. I'm not a big fan of Liam Neeson generally, and it seemed like it might be lacking originality. But I was wrong!
'Taken' turned out to be a really good watch. Neeson plays an ex-military, over controlling Dad who doesn't want his 17 year old daughter to go to Europe for the summer. When he succumbs, he has lots of rules for her to follow. But quickly after landing in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by an Albanian prostitution ring. He knows that he only has a few days to find her before his chances of finding her alive greatly dwindle. He's a man on a mission. And the mission is great fun to watch!
All in all, 'Taken' is not the most original or suspenseful movie of this type, but it does have some snippets of originality thrown in to make it very enjoyable. Liam Neeson's character is really the only main character, and he does a great job holding the movie together. (I probably wouldn't have cast him... but I don't know who I would have??)
This one is probably OK for most mature teens, although the subject matter of enslaved prostitution might be further than you want any kid to learn about.
It was a good watch! (And all in about an hour and a half!)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Frozen River ***1/2
So I wasn't too excited about getting this one.... But the lead, Melissa Leo, was nominated for an Academy Award, so I thought I should check it out.
It was worth the watch!
In 'Frozen River', Melissa Leo plays a desperate and alone mom who happens into a little human smuggling. We've seen this story and heard others like it many times. Usually it takes place around Mexico, however. With 'Frozen River', the action takes place in upstate New York and they're smuggling people across Mohawk territory, specifically a frozen river. Who knew this happened? I didn't.
There are, of course, some personal traumas that she goes through in this endeavor. And you get to meet a myriad of other interesting people.
All in all, 'Frozen River' was a nice surprise and very worth the watch.
Also, it's ok for the kids, but the younger ones probably wouldn't enjoy it.
Good one!
It was worth the watch!
In 'Frozen River', Melissa Leo plays a desperate and alone mom who happens into a little human smuggling. We've seen this story and heard others like it many times. Usually it takes place around Mexico, however. With 'Frozen River', the action takes place in upstate New York and they're smuggling people across Mohawk territory, specifically a frozen river. Who knew this happened? I didn't.
There are, of course, some personal traumas that she goes through in this endeavor. And you get to meet a myriad of other interesting people.
All in all, 'Frozen River' was a nice surprise and very worth the watch.
Also, it's ok for the kids, but the younger ones probably wouldn't enjoy it.
Good one!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
TimeCrimes ***1/2
Ok, so I watched several other new releases this week beside 'Benjamin Button'. 'Last Chance Harvey' was ok but really sad, but then...
I turned on my Netflix instant view player last night and turned on 'TimeCrimes'. It's Spanish for starters, so you will probably need to read. The sound track for me at least, was off for most of the movie, so I just muted and read it. Also, it's considered a sci-fi/fantasy! And I still liked it??
The plot of the movie 'TimeCrimes' deals with time travel. Yes, I hate things that are unreal, but the theory of time travel does hold a little credibility with me. You know, because of the whole plausibility of it with Einstein and quantum theory and all.
In 'TimeCrimes', our main character, Hector, is swept up into a plot where he inadvertently gets into a time machine. He goes back about an hour in time and realizes that now there are two of him. The plot gets sticky with two and then three Hectors. Then at the end, at least one of the Hector's is back to normal. But I'm pretty sure the other Hector's will be forever perpetuating the same plot and themselves??
Although 'TimeCrimes' wasn't great and probably won't be one of my all time favorites, it was definitely worth the watch. I enjoyed the complexity and layering of the plot. It was one of those movies that was fun to keep up with!
As for the kids, there's a little nudity (it's foreign) not in a sexual way, just a naked chick. So if your ok with that and your kid wants to read it.....
A nice watch!
I turned on my Netflix instant view player last night and turned on 'TimeCrimes'. It's Spanish for starters, so you will probably need to read. The sound track for me at least, was off for most of the movie, so I just muted and read it. Also, it's considered a sci-fi/fantasy! And I still liked it??
The plot of the movie 'TimeCrimes' deals with time travel. Yes, I hate things that are unreal, but the theory of time travel does hold a little credibility with me. You know, because of the whole plausibility of it with Einstein and quantum theory and all.
In 'TimeCrimes', our main character, Hector, is swept up into a plot where he inadvertently gets into a time machine. He goes back about an hour in time and realizes that now there are two of him. The plot gets sticky with two and then three Hectors. Then at the end, at least one of the Hector's is back to normal. But I'm pretty sure the other Hector's will be forever perpetuating the same plot and themselves??
Although 'TimeCrimes' wasn't great and probably won't be one of my all time favorites, it was definitely worth the watch. I enjoyed the complexity and layering of the plot. It was one of those movies that was fun to keep up with!
As for the kids, there's a little nudity (it's foreign) not in a sexual way, just a naked chick. So if your ok with that and your kid wants to read it.....
A nice watch!
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