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For Paris in July, I watched Cyrano de Bergerac in French with English subtitles. I cannot gush about it enough. It is all kinds of wonderful. And deserves to be watched and rewatched dozens of times at least.

The film was released in 1990. It stars Gerard Depardieu in the lead role of Cyrano de Bergerac. He is PERFECTLY perfect in this role. Anne Brochet stars as Roxane. Vincent Perez stars as Christian de Neuvillette.

Is it faithful to the play? Yes and no. I would say YES because it is true to the spirit of the play/book. Nothing has been changed about the characters themselves. The script-writing keeps to the integrity of the original. I would say NO because a few things were changed. For example, in the play, Roxane is able to ride through the enemy armies unopposed and unchallenged. If questioned, she just spills her heart and speaks of her desperate need to see her husband. She does arrive the day of the big, decisive battle. In the movie, Christian "saves" her from the enemy army and her arrival is far from unopposed. Christian is given something MANLY to do to prove himself.

I would also say that the movie misses an opportunity when it cuts one of the best, best lines from the play. What is that line? Roxane saying I've loved only one man, and I've lost him twice. 

Cyrano de Bergerac is a serious, dramatic, ROMANTIC play with some very comic lines. But it isn't a comedy or at least not a ha-ha comedy as my friend would say. This production captures the tone of the play exceedingly well. I did try to watch another production, a filming of a stage production from recent years, and it was over-the-top too-much. Every line (of the first forty or so minutes) acted for a belly laugh. Which is, I suppose, okay for Cyrano de Bergerac's confrontation with the actor and all. But how can you connect with Cyrano and see his soul if you're just laughing AT him?

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the soundtrack to the movie. It is one of my favorite film scores. The music was composed by Jean Claude Petit.


The soundtrack opens with a track called 'Cyrano'


I would definitely recommend this soundtrack. I think it's great music to have on in the background. It is great to read to, for example. It's just hauntingly beautiful.

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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For Old Fashioned Charm's Period Drama Challenge, I watched Miss Potter. 

The first time I saw this--which would have been 2006 or 2007--I was disappointed. Probably for shallow enough reasons! Kill off Ewan McGregor's character, really?!?! Did I care that it was a film 'biography' of Beatrix Potter and that it almost had to follow the events of her life? Not then. I knew nothing about Beatrix Potter's private life, private tragedies. And since I was expecting a romance, I was angry when I didn't get one.

The second time was better for me. In part, because I knew what was coming. Also, I've matured a bit in ten years perhaps! And I've also learned a little bit more about Beatrix Potter's life, and, since I knew that she did find love and happiness and did marry...I was better able to 'cope.'

I'm not sure that the film will ever truly be one of my favorite period dramas. But there some lovely scenes in this one. The Christmas scenes, for example, were lovely. I also enjoyed the focus on the friendship between Beatrix and her would-be sister-in-law.

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Do you have a favorite Ewan McGregor movie? a favorite Renee Zellweger movie?

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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First, I just want to say that I'm rewatching this series. I spent one delightful summer watching all the seasons.

So. The show centers around the post office of Candleford essentially. The heroines are Laura Timmins, a new, oh-so-young apprentice, and the older-and-mostly-wiser postmistress Dorcas Lane. Laura comes from the (rural) community of Lark Rise, and she finds quite a bit of difference between the two communities or villages--between those living (and working) in Lark Rise to those in Candleford.

In Lark Rise, viewers come to know Laura's family especially her parents Robert and Emma, but, also her older brother, Edmund. (She has other siblings, but, at least so far in season one they rarely leave an impression.) Then there is the Arless family. There are a LOT of children. But let's be honest. We really only get to know the mother, Caroline, and the oldest son, Alf. Alf is one of Laura's dearest, dearest friends. And let's not forget Queenie and Twister! One could hardly forget them; they may be the show's most eccentric characters. Another character I can't help loving is Margaret Ellison, the reverend's daughter.

In Candleford, viewers come to know Dorcas Lane, of course, and Zillah, the cook. While Dorcas Lane might have many "one weaknesses," Zillah's literally has one weakness: gossip. She can't help listening in on other people's conversations and then repeating what she hears. Thomas Brown is a lovably eccentric character who works at the post office delivering mail--or telegrams--on occasion. He is easy to tease, I suppose. But I do genuinely like him. And then there are the two sisters Ruby and Pearl Pratt. A LOT could be said about them. Including the fact that at least in season one they have identical outfits for each episode. They can sometimes cause a LOT of trouble. And I'm still not quite happy that they broke up Dorcas' new romance. But. I suppose they're not solely to blame.

The squire. There is a LOT I could say about Sir Timothy Midwinter. Let's start with the fact that he's played by one of my favorite, favorite actors BEN MILES. For better or worse, he is only in the first season of Lark Rise to Candleford. Part of me really LOVED having him on the show. And the other part of me realizes that in terms of story, it is probably for the best that he and his wife did move to London. Sir Timothy and Dorcas Lane were childhood sweethearts, in a way, and they've stayed close after he's married someone else, perhaps a bit too close. I don't believe for one second that anything would happen, that either Dorcas or Timothy would let anything happen. But emotionally, it's not good for either one to spend so much time together. I actually really liked Lady Adelaide Midwinter. And I was so happy that she finally conceived!!!

The first season is ten episodes. I think I really enjoyed--if not LOVED--all the episodes. Perhaps my favorite may be the tenth episode. I really loved Zillah in that last episode. Thomas and Margaret finally, finally admit that they like-like each other. Dorcas' plans to sell the post office come to nothing...thanks to Thomas. Dorcas' new romance occurs in episode eight. I rather liked that episode, and, in a way I wish James Delafield had stayed in Candleford. There was a LOT of drama in episode six, when Polly is abandoned by her family. Lady Midwinter wants to adopt her...and Sir Timothy does not. Dorcas is put into an impossible situation! And oh, that ending with the poem!

Essentially, what I love about the show is...everything. I love the characters. I love the relationships. I love the humor. I love the drama. I love the costumes. I love how dependably GOOD the episodes are. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the theme song!

Last week, I spent a lot of time watching Dr. Quinn. This week was all Lark Rise to Candleford. There is no comparison really. Dr. Quinn seems like such a "weak" show in comparison to LARK RISE. (Sully is still cute, however.)

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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By now you’ve heard the obligatory spiel about 10 Cloverfield Lane; how the J.J. Abrams-produced project was kept under wraps using a different name and then suddenly thrust upon the public on an unassuming January evening only months before its release. How it’s not exactly a sequel, but more like a “blood relative” to the […]

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We review The Merc with a Mouth's big screen adventure

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We review the latest comedic romp from The Coen Brothers

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Providence movie releases February 2016

A failure to communicate can stall your love story. (Actors Stacey Bradshaw and Josh Allen)

Rachel (Juli Tapken) and Mitchell (Rich Swingle) have their first date forty years after first meeting.

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By Harper W. Harris Whether you agree with its sweeping of last years Oscars or not, Birdman was a big deal. It brought mainstream attention to an artsy, technically impressive film that laid out some pretty serious criticism of the current state of cinema, overrun by indistinguishable superhero films that will undoubtedly be forgotten in […]

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We review Quentin Tarantino's claustrophobic eighth feature

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We review Pixar's second feature of 2015

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After a big hit like Skyfall, how does 007's next adventure fare?

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The biopic has really overstayed its welcome. We’ve come a long way since the halcyon days of Patton, but in recent years, the genre has become synonymous with “larger than life” mythologizing, with the same or similar beats being hit over and over again. Even last year, one need not look further than last year’s […]

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The week of its release, and The Martian's science is already outdated by the recent discovery of water on Mars. Years from now, viewers will look back and shake their heads at the barren and dry depiction of the planet, along with the size and dimensions of cell phones, probably. Or the fact that we even had cell phones. But we'll forgive The Martian for being so last week.

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Judging by the first few scenes, Sicario looks like a great chance to see Emily Blunt flex her literal and figurative acting muscles – another reminder of the Black Widow that could have been – in the role of a strong female lead working on a task force to take down a Mexican drug cartel. But what actually follows is much murkier and, arguably, much more true to life.

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In the current mold of superhero film-making, it’s difficult to escape the prevailing wisdom of how studios formulate their respective franchises. There’s the Marvel method, which embraces the colorful comic tones and inherent silliness of the medium, but at its worst can lead to tedium. The efforts of other studios (Fox, WB, Sony) in recent […]

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While my familiarity with the television series is admittedly meager, the consistently Tom Cruise-led Mission: Impossible film entries have played like minor American efforts at aping the formula that made James Bond a success. Generally, they lack the iconic imagery of 007’s finest efforts, while never really being able to hit the same critical appeal […]

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In the waning moments of Terminator Genisys, Alan Taylor’s attempt to revitalize this moribund franchise, there is a scene where the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the titular heroes Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese (reimagined by the woefully miscast Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney) are arrested by the local police. When their mugshots are taken, the theme from COPS plays in the background. This is the kind of movie you’ve signed up for when you go and see Terminator Genisys.

It wasn’t all bad going really, though my expectations were generally in the toilet from the outset. We’re talking about the follow-up to Terminator: Salvation or the reboot/relaunch of a franchise that’s been in a moribund state, unable to recapture the magic that imbued T2: Judgement Day with the ability to conquer the box office in the early 90’s. We’re also looking at a franchise relaunch that’s being helmed by the guy that brought you Thor: The Dark World, the next in a line of mediocre filmmakers that have inherited the reins on this series in the wake of James Cameron moving on to even bigger financial pastures. With those sunken hopes in place, I sat back and found that the first 20 minutes or so of Genisys to at least be watchable.

Within that opening frame, Taylor and company attempt to set the stage for why this film should exist in the first place, though it’s a fairly tenuous excuse: John Connor (Jason Clarke, no relation to the above), Reese, and the human resistance that’s in place during the fall of humanity, post-Judgement Day, discover Skynet’s time travel device. Due to Reese’s weird obsession with John’s mother, Sarah Connor, that Courtney completely fails to sell, John picks his right hand man as the person to send on a time traveling journey to protect Sarah and stop Judgement Day from occurring. Sounds pretty familiar, right? Short of an attack on John that occurs during the fireworks that send Reese back in time, you’re looking at a story that’s doing backflips to establish its own relevancy in the shadow of a much better set of films.

To their credit, Taylor and his art direction team do a pretty nice job of recreating the atmosphere of Cameron’s original (and best) Terminator film. At this point, I was filled with questions at the very least, sucker that I am for time travel narratives: Why is Sarah Connor no longer the innocent waitress that she was in the first film? Why is a Terminator now her paternal figure? Why did Matt Smith’s mysterious character attack John? Why is there a T-1000 hunting Sarah and Kyle in the timeline of the first film? It’s an enjoyably dumb time, though admittedly one that’s overloaded with exposition in order to remind viewers what’s happening and why it’s happening (seriously, poor Arnold plays the role of narrative dumping ground just as much as he does stoic father-figure). Yet, in order to avoid falling too far into the Back to the Future 2 retread trap, Kyle and Sarah take another trip in time.

That’s where things fall apart completely.

Taylor’s narrative, once it hits 2017 – the next timehop destination – gives way to weightless CGI battles, a non-starter plot regarding what’s basically an evil iPhone app, and twisty timeline logic that the script simply doesn’t have time to address, nor does it really seem to care to. All of this while establishing a poorly set up relationship between Kyle and Sarah that casts John as the ne’er-do-well suitor and the T-800 as the disapproving father. At this point, the whole endeavor becomes an incalculable mess, full of fan service that ends up making no sense in the context of the current narrative and showcasing action beats that can only be described as tremendously boring.

The structure of Terminator Genisys basically falls into “our heroes are chased by a bad guy, they hide out in a bunker of some sort and explain the plot to one another, arrested, bunker/hide-out, chased by a bad guy, arrested etc.” If I see Arnold throw someone through a wall again, it’ll be too soon. The only real bright spot in the final two-thirds of the movie is when J.K. Simmons pops up on screen as a detective who first encountered Reese and Connor in 1984 as a uniform police officer and has been obsessed with them ever since. It’s a character that’s actually somewhat compelling and has a unique perspective on the ongoing Skynet vs. Connors battle that we’ve seen warmed over so many times, it’s become tedious. As my friend who sat next to me at the screening said: I wish the whole movie had just focused on him.

What Terminator Genisys brought to bear for me is that this is a franchise, much like Jurassic Park, that is drug down by actually being a franchise. The original Terminator was a lean and mean showcase for a hungry young science fiction-minded filmmaker that told a wonderfully executed, done in one, finite tale. Even its first sequel, as enjoyable as it was, was really just an excuse to retell Terminator in 90’s clothes and take advantage of Arnold’s stature as a megastar. It’s been a case of diminishing returns ever since, and it’s possible that Terminator Genisys is the worst offering of the lot. That it exists to clearly perpetuate more sequels, with a post-credits scene that I bet even the writers don’t have an explanation for, may actually make it the worst of the lot. You can say a lot of things about Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Salvation, but at least they had, respectively, a surprisingly downbeat ending and an attempt to tell a different kind story within this universe. Terminator Genisys does neither of these things; it’s just a much blander version of far better films.

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Christian Film: The Good Book

The Good Book

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Adapted from the Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ The Secret Service, the longer titled Kingsman: The Secret Service sees Matthew Vaughn taking on another Millar property, having previously adapted Kick-Ass to some acclaim (before the Jeff Wadlow-directed sequel squashed any and all of that franchise’s goodwill). Whereas the latter film was a subversive take on super-heroes, with Kingsman, Vaughn sets his sights squarely on the spy genre, or more specifically, the Roger Moore-era James Bond films and all of the gadgets, paper-thin female characters, and British patriotism that are hallmarks of that iteration of 007.

For about 2/3rds of its running time, I enjoyed myself. And then the film takes a turn that left me outright hating it. It was a strange experience and left me wondering how I could put it into words.

But let’s get the key details out of the way:

Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is a troubled chap, living with his mother and her thug boyfriend, and finding himself in constant dire straits both with other street toughs and the law. After a particularly damaging incident with the authorities, it seems like Eggsy has reached the end of the line – until he’s saved from imprisonment by Harry Hart (Colin Firth), a gentleman spy. Harry once mentored Eggsy’s now-departed father within an organization of spies, and as with all guilt-debts of this type, Eggsy is intended to replace his father. It’s typical hero’s journey stuff, but Vaughn handles much of this with panache. The film reveals a rich organization, where its members are all named after Knights of the Round-table including Hart’s Galahad, Merlin (Mark Strong, the Q of the group), and their leader Arthur (Michael Caine, another casting coup if you love The Italian Job as much as I do).

Eggsy is forced to compete with a number of other young proteges for the role of “Lancelot.” It’s here where the film shines. We get a number of exciting training sequences and tests for the prospects, and it’s all wrapped together with a fairly knowing wink. This is the point where Kingsman knows exactly what kind of film it is, relishing the old cliches that are inherent within its genre while still declaring itself not that kind of movie. Even the villains are right in line with that formula. Samuel L. Jackson‘s Evan Valentine, a tech mogul that gags at the site of blood (and who has a masterplan that’s about as ridiculous as something out of Moonraker) is workable enough, though the riff on Spike Lee is less funny than Vaughn and co. thinks it is. His having a hench-woman that’s straight out of the Jaws/Oddjob playbook is a good, if obvious, touch.

I also cannot express enough what Firth bring to the proceedings. For my money, he’s one of the best actors in Hollywood and the level of gravitas and authoritative manner that he excels at is right at home in Kingsman. In this kind of film, you need an actor that can exude that debonair quality, especially given how forgettable Egerton is in the lead.

Yet for all the things Kingsman does enjoyably well from its outset, I found myself leaving the theater with a bad taste in my mouth. There’s a point when the film turns from a fun, action-based satire into all out carnage and, from there, it never really lets up. Once that moment comes, and the film shifts its focus to just one character, everything falls apart. It’s here where all of the Millar-isms come into full force, and I was reminded more of the side of Millar’s work that highlights an over-indulgent attitude regarding sex and violence. In one of the film’s worst moments, there’s a scene where we’re forced to endure the mass slaughter of innocents (despite being a group of admittedly awful people), and I was unsure what I was supposed to be feeling. It was clear the film had the same problem, playing to both anguish and glee at the same time.

And the less said about the final pre-credits scene, the better. To be frank, the gender politics of the film are a bit of a mess. Sophie Cookson‘s Roxy really had no reason to exist at all other than to play on the potential of romance with Eggsy and/or her own capability as a rival, though neither really play into the plot in any significant fashion. Like I spoke to above, there’s a point to which this is another cliche of a well-worn genre, but this would have been a great place to transcend that source if Vaughn and Jane Goldman‘s script was anywhere near as clever as it pretends to be.

Kingsman, is at its heart, a film focusing on men celebrating the concept of being “gentlemen.” This is all well and good, except Vaughn and his team defy those very lessons in the final turn, where the overall treatise seems to be more: “A gentleman is all well and good, but it’s better to be a sleaze”. Metaphorically you could even say “they shot their own dog”. If you see the movie, you’ll get what I mean.

Or not. You’d be better off saving your money.

 

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The riveting film, The Artist and the Model (L’Artiste et son Modèle) from Spain’s leading director, Fernando Trueba, focuses on a series of “one seconds” in the life of French sculptor Marc Cross.

The film director transfers himself into his protagonist, played brilliantly by Jean Rochefort, to explore what serves as inspiration for an artist. “An idea,” says the sculptor as he shares with his young model a sketch made by Rembrandt of a child’s first walking steps. “It is the tenderness of the sketch,“ the “one second of an idea,” that Marc Cross searches for to unblock his aging loss of creativity.

And it is the sculptor’s wife, played by beautiful Claudia Cardinale, who will find this “idea” for him. She will save him, help him create.

In one second, the “good wife” sees a driftless girl in their town, sleeping on the ground at a doorstep. She knows nothing about this vagabond who has found her way to their small French village at the Pyrenees’ border with Spain. The only thing the wife knows is that this homeless, hungry girl, wrapped in a bulky, woolen coat, has a face and body that her husband would love to sculpt. This street urchin could become his inspiration. Claudia Cardinale brings the girl home, shelters and feeds her, and teaches Mercè (Aïda Folch) how to pose.

After weeks of sketches and small sculptures, in one second, by chance, the sculptor sees his model in a new position, resting. It is the angle of her arm, the tilt of her head, her leaning down to reflect that gives him “his idea.” He sees in one second before him, a girl who has become a beautiful woman. Marc Cross realizes his model is thinking of the War, worrying about the people she has been transporting secretly during the night to both sides of the Pyrenees. They are “Jews, Resistance, anyone,” who want to escape German-occupied France of 1943-44, as well as from Franco’s military dictatorship of Spain.

In that one second, the sculptor feels her sensitivity, her attempts to do what is right. He sees her in a different light and feels her soul. She has become more than a body or model. He feels in one second that she is Beauty, Art. It is what the artist has been searching for. With tenderness and love, he sculpts his final masterpiece.

When his work is coming to an end, so is the War. The girl leaves to model for another, perhaps Matisse in Nice, as she bikes to the Riviera with a letter of introduction. At this time, the sculptor’s wife leaves him for a few days to care for her sick sister. It is not a coincidence that this is his moment, his one second, to create the most courageous act of all. And he does, with the beautiful finished sculpture of the woman in his garden — surrounded by perfect light and birds chirping – giving him peace.

The Artist and the Model speaks to an age when all men and women search for one second of Hope.

Headline image credit: Still of Jean Rochefort and Aida Folch in The Artist and the Model (2012). © 2013 – Cohen Media Group via IMDB

The post One second in the life of an artist appeared first on OUPblog.

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While I've seen all the Tinker Bell movies to date, today I'll be discussing my three favorites: Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010), Secret of the Wings (2012), and Pirate Fairy (2014).

I really love Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Summer camp on the mainland. Tink and all her friends are in for quite an adventure. Tinker Bell knows that she's supposed to stay far away from humans, from the human house. But she's so very curious. One thing she is super curious about is a horseless carriage. She sees Lizzy and her father arrive at the cottage, and, she can't resist wanting to explore just a bit. When Vidia's wings get wet, and the two have to walk back to camp, Tinker Bell's impulsiveness displays itself once again. She finds a fairy house! An oh-so-cute fairy house (made of an oatmeal carton!). She, of course, has to go inside. The door gets stuck--not out of maliciousness, but mechanical problems. Vidia witnesses her friend getting captured by a human girl, a girl named Lizzy. Vidia follows from a distance as Lizzy takes her to her house and attempts to show her "real fairy" to her oh-so-distracted scientific father. Vidia returns to camp to tell everyone that Tink has been captured and put in a cage! A rescue won't be easy since it's raining, but Tink's friends won't let her down...

I love, love, love this one for many reasons. I love seeing Tinker Bell and Lizzy together. I love when they make a book together. Love all the kid art, and how these two find a way to understand each other and communicate. I love how Tinker Bell wants to "fix" the relationship between father and daughter. Even if that puts her own life at risk since she's given at least one or two opportunities to leave.

Secret of the Wings. I love, love, love, LOVE this one! Tinker Bell breaks another rule. She crosses the border and enters Winter! The few minutes she's there, she sees that her wings are all sparkly! Tink needs answers. She'll wait until she's warmed back up, but, go on a search for answers, she will! She'll return to the Winter Woods to seek the Keeper--the writer of all the books--to find out just WHY her wings sparkled. She'll go fully prepared--with new leggings, boots, and coat. While there she discovers something WONDERFUL. She has a sister!!! Periwinkle and Tinker Bell discover each other, but, on that very day, Lord Milori forbids them to ever see one another again. It's too dangerous for them to cross seasons or borders to be together. (Lord Milori is voiced by Timothy Dalton!!!) Tinker Bell will NOT take no for an answer, of course. With the help of her friends, Tinker Bell is determined to get to know her sister better and find a way to change the rule forever.

Love this one. I do. The song the Great Divide is just wonderful!!! I just love this one from start to finish!!!

The newest movie is Pirate Fairy. I love this one so so much! Viewers meet "the Tinker Bell of dust keepers" an oh-so-curious fairy named Zarina. The film opens with it being Zarina's turn to bring the blue pixie dust to the pixie dust tree. Viewers learn that it is the blue dust that takes regular pixie dust from a trickle to a roar. When a small speck of the blue dust is brought home in her hair, Zarina decides it's time to take her secret experiments to a whole new level. The good news: she's done it at last. She creates orange dust and pink dust and purple dust! The bad news? Well, she has quite an accident that leads to her running away for an entire year. When she returns, it won't be as Zarina. She'll be a pirate captain!

Tinker Bell and her friends will need to save the day, but Zarina won't make it easy for them! Hint: She switches their talents! If you haven't seen this one yet, you should!!! I love seeing the crocodile!!!

And, did I mention it stars Tom Hiddleston as James, a young Captain Hook?! There is so much to love about this movie! I adore "Who I Am," I do. But, I love, love, love The Frigate That Flies!!!

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Invention of Hugo Cabret. Brian Selznick. 2007. Scholastic. 525 pages.

I hadn't really planned on rereading Brian Selznick's Invention of Hugo Cabret, but this year I joined the book to movie challenge. I'd been curious about the film, Hugo. This "review" will share what I thought about both the book and the movie.

I found the movie wonderful. I found it very compelling. I was drawn into the story--the time and place. This is a movie (and a book) where setting is just as important if not MORE important than the characters. Because it is set in a train station in Paris, France, in the early 1930s, because it focuses on such an intriguing orphan who is desperate to make sense of the world and fix what needs fixing, because it was a story with such a strong emphasis on friendship and making your own family, it worked for me. The book and the movie are different from one another. The movie adds characters and even gives them story-lines. The movie changes some of the relationships as well. But I thought some of the changes--at least--worked better. I liked the Hugo of the movie better than the Hugo of the book! While the novel's focus on old cinema was interesting, on film it meant SO MUCH MORE. This book was meant to be filmed.

I originally read the book in 2007. I watched the movie a few weeks ago and then decided to reread the book. I definitely preferred the movie to the book. But the book is a very quick read! It takes longer to watch the movie than it does to read the book!

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Have you seen Beautiful Creatures? What did you think? No spoilers, please--leave a comment below.

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Broken City * Movie Review by Dawn Chartier

I give Broken City 3.5 stars out of 5. This was a crime drama, car crashing, shoot-em up type of movie which stars some really good actors, (Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe) but the plot was a same ole' same ole'. It lacked a better twist and more sub-plots.

Quick Summary: An ex-cop was hired by the Mayor (who is running for Mayor again) to investigate his wife. The ex-cop (who is now a P.I.) believes he is trying to capture pictures of the wife cheating on the Mayor, but it's not what it seems. The Mayor has a bigger agenda.

The Mayor takes the pictures from the P.I. and pays him, then bad things happen to wife's supposed lover who is the Mayor's rival campaign manager. The P.I. realizes the Mayor is up to no good, and then it's too late. The Mayor has proof against the P.I., and he can't get out of it. He has two choices. Do the right or wrong thing. I won't ruin the ending and tell you which one he does.

I like my movies with a little more thought out plot. But this might be just me, so I wouldn't say it was a waste of money, it just wasn't what I'd hoped for. (p.s. I didn't pay for this one, a friend won the tickets, and I enjoyed her company as always.)

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