Here’s another little addition to my blog: One line film reviews. They get straight to the point…

Kicking things off:

Street Kings

Keanu Reeves insults gang-members and then shoots them.

Christopher Robert Evans, nascido em Sudbury (USA) em 13 de junho de 1981 é ator e já participou de vários filmes. Atualmente, é mais conhecido pelo papel de Tocha Humana (Johnny Storm), nos filmes do Quarteto Fantástico.

Filmografia:

* 2000 – Boston Public (TV) …. Nail Mavromates
* 2000 – Opposite Sex (TV) …. Cary Boston
* 2000 – The Newcomers …. Judd
* 2001 – Não é Mais um Besteirol Americano …. Jake Wyler
* 2002 – Eastwick (TV) …. Adam
* 2003 – Skin …. Brian
* 2003 – The Paper Boy …. Ben
* 2004 – Celular – Um Grito de Socorro …. Ryan
* 2004 – Nota Máxima …. Kyle
* 2005 – Quarteto Fantástico …. Johnny Storm / Tocha Humana
* 2005 – Sociedade Feroz …. Bryce
* 2005 – London …. Syd
* 2005 – The Orphan King …. Seth King
* 2007 – Quarteto Fantástico e o Surfista Prateado …. Johnny Storm / Tocha Humana
* 2007 – Sunshine – Alerta Solar …. Mace
* 2007 – As Tartarugas Ninja – O Retorno …. Casey Jones (voz)
* 2007 – Terra …. Stewart Stanton (voz)
* 2007 – The Nanny Diaries …. Harvard Hottie / Hayden
* 2008 – Push …. Nick Gant
* 2008 – Street Kings …. Diskant
* 2008 – The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond …. Jimmy
* 2008 – Under The Blue Sky

O rapaz deixou os fãs loucos da piriquita ao fazer uma declaração bem inusitada: ele costuma levar o lixo para fora de casa nu. Sim, você entendeu: ele sai da casa dele carregando o lixo até a lixeira que fica ao ar livre sem roupa nenhuma! “Tenho um jardim agradável. É bem isolado, então de tempos em tempos eu posso correr rapidinho [e nu] para levar o lixo”, ele conta.

Antes que nos perguntem: não, nós ainda não temos nenhuma foto registrando o momento e também não sabemos o endereço exato de Chris.

Já que não podemos ver ele nu, e nem é o itiuito deste blog, vamos ver algumas fotos que provocam o desejo de Luxúria:

Gostaram, não é mesmo? Como não gostar?

Vejam um videozinho que selecionei para vocês:

Ai ai…

Leonardo Portela

Vejam mais artigos sobre Luxúria:

Marco da Silva;

Ian Somerhalder.

2008: Street Kings di David Ayer

La critica si è divisa: Ciak parla di “un’ottima suspense e un duello di attori in grande forma”, per Il Giornale il film “è scritto con la sinistra, per non dire con i piedi, è di un’improbabilità rara e di una sciatteria impressionante”, La Stampa parla di “solido soggetto del film…  buona tensione narrativa e un cast di prim’ordine”, Il Mattino sottolinea che “lo sguardo obliquo e maledetto di Ellroy viene normalizzato dalla routine di genere”.

Un’opera certamente non banale e con l’ambizione di essere uno spietato affresco di una città infernale dove gli aspetti positivi brillano per la loro assenza. Una requisitoria contro le forze dell’ordine e contro chi detiene il potere. Un quadro impressionante di egocentrismo, falsità, corruzione, violenza, arrivismo… Uno dei lavori meno rassicuranti che si siano visti negli ultimi tempi: una storia a tinte forti, sgradevole nel suo realismo, senza compromessi o reticenze.

Peccato che il tutto sia infarcito di inutili e retorici effetti spettacolari di cui non si sentiva il bisogno (che hanno l’unico risultato di distrarre lo spettatore dal tema principale del film, il contrasto tra il rispetto della legge da una parte e la difesa dell’ordine e della sicurezza dall’altra) e che regia e sceneggiatura facciano agire il protagonista (figura estremamente interessante nella sua problematicità) come un superman alla Rambo (con la conseguenza inevitabile di togliere credibilità e plausibilità a quanto vediamo sullo schermo). Peccato. Probabilmente i realizzatori del film hanno avuto paura che la sola forte denuncia non sarebbe bastata a richiamare gli spettatori e hanno preferito mascherarla dei soliti mirabolanti effettacci che caratterizzano tutti gli action-movie di ultima produzione (del resto Hollywood non ha creduto molto in questo lavoro fatto uscire in America quasi alla chetichella).

Tratto da un romanzo di James Ellroy (coautore della sceneggiatura), “lo scrittore noir più importante dopo Chandler” (Il Messaggero),  La notte non aspetta è diretto da David Ayer, noto per lo screenplay dell’ottimo Training day e per la regia del meno riuscito Harsh Times. I giorni dell’odio.

Ottima l’interpretazione di Keanu Reeves, dell’emergente Chris Evans, ma soprattutto del perfetto Forest Whitaker.

scheda

sito ufficiale

“A young ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with the clan”

Ninja Assassin follows the history of Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.

Directed by Australian filmmaker James McTeigue, (first assistant director for The Matrix trilogy and Speed Racer and also directed V for Vendetta), the screenplay was co-written by newcomer Matthew Sand and comic legend veteran J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) and the script for Clint Eastwood’s Changeling previously as well as the Silver Surfer movie. With the actors Naomie Harris (Street Kings, pirates of the caribean “at world’s end), Sung Kang (Fast and furious), Rain (Speed Racer), Randall Duk Kim (Dragon ball evolution, Kung fu panda) and Rick Yune (007: die another day).

Ninja Assassin will kick the big screen on November 25th this year.

Enjoy this totally adrenaline trailer here:

Street Kings: a crime-drama from some of the guys that brought us the crime-dramas Training Day, Harsh Times & S.W.A.T – you kind of know what you’re getting! Keanu Reeves may as well have been a bit of timber with a face drawn on (again) but the rest of the cast were pretty good – Forrest Whittaker in particular. The story twists and turns along at a good pace, and keeps you thoroughly entertained throughout. Also, couldn’t feature a Latino gang without Noel Gugliemi: possibly the most obvious typecast ever! Exceeded my expectations…

Score: 8/10

she says i never review bad movies.

[1 netflix star]

Street Kings movie, Good cop action/thriller. Keanu Reeves et al. Enjoyable movie with decent storyline and good action.[More..]

Movie Review – Street Kings. Rated: R Run Time: 109. Made In: 2008. Starring: Keanu Reeves, Terry Crews and Forest Whitaker In the wake of the L.A. riots, an LAPD vice detective who always went above and beyond the call of duty to keep …[More..]

Hit the ground running with the street-smart training you

Director David Ayer, starring Keanu Reeves (Detective Tom Ludlow), Forest Whittaker (Captain Jack Wander), Hugh Laurie (Captain James Briggs), Terry Crews (Detective Terrance Washington).

Tom Ludlow is a rule-bending cop who nonetheless gets results because he kids himself he’s past caring and regularly tops himself up with vodka. His wife died after a brain haemorrhage but was in another man’s bed at the time. Ludlow only has a job because his captain’s prepared to keep the line and defines the truth as how you look at it. Familiar territory to James Ellroy, who co-wrote the script. His mark is also all over the staccato pace and macho dialogue that’s spat rather than said.

Ludlow’s ex-partner, Detective Washington, has reported him to Internal Affairs. Following Washington into a store, Ludlow becomes involved in a shoot out with two local thugs. The thugs are identified as Fremont and Coates but drugs were found in Washington’s car, implying he was selling on drugs taken as evidence. Off-duty Ludlow finds the bodies of Fremont and Coates, the state of the bodies mean they were clearly murdered long before Detective Washington was fatally shot. His captain, Wander, urges Ludlow to “turn the page and close the book” but Ludlow’s girlfriend says he shouldn’t turn his back on Washington. Giving a man who believes he has nothing to lose a sense of purpose is dangerous if you want to keep the status quo. Doesn’t take Ludlow long to work out he’s a pawn, but the question is whose and will it corrupt him in the process?

Keanu Reeves is credible as a grieving man fighting a losing battle with the chaos around him who knows he can’t trust anyone. Forest Whitaker as the politically ambitious captain, who regards knowing the dirt on everyone including his own unit as an insurance policy, is manic, slightly over-played now and then. Hugh Laurie reprises House albeit less grumpily but it’s a way of signalling to a British audience that he’s serious here. Terry Crews’ Washington is well-judged, a man who thought that the means didn’t matter if the end result was desirable but becomes sickened by the stench of corruption and coverts to an evangelist for Internal Affairs and at the same time can’t understand why his fellow cops don’t follow him.

The pace is intense. The action nonstop. And it stays that way as the plot twists and turns through the multi-ethnic mayhem and macho angst. It questions whether when you’re dealing with corruption and law-breaking on a daily basis don’t you become tainted too? Where corruption is rife, who’s the good guy? And just how wide a line separates police from criminal? Where are the women? Washington’s widow believes he was a good man but is packing for a new life elsewhere. Ludlow’s girlfriend is a slightly-drawn character who chides him for only seeing her when he gets shot. No surprise she’s also a nurse and hence knows her role in his life only too well. Frenetic but worth sticking with.

The year is over? But wait—I still have like 45 movies left to see, it can’t be over! It can’t be over! But it is. It officially is and I must now make my list without having seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Australia, and Blindness. Oh how horrible a wound I have received by the ticking clock of New Years! Granted, I’ve seen (at least) 55 films (just from 2008), some amazing, some that I wish could be erased from my memory forever—and some that have been. I saw Pineapple Express with a cute blonde girl. I saw Changeling with a cute formerly blonde girl. I saw WALL-E with a cute brunette and redhead AND a dark haired stud. Could this summer be any cooler? Oh, seeing Iron Man the midnight before my graduation with my dad and some of the most awesome people on the planet. Seeing Dark Knight with more insanely awesome people. Arriving to Philadelphia Friday, August 15 and what was the first thing I did in Philadelphia? Watch Tropic Thunder. And the last thing I did before participating in the New Years festivities? Get my mind blown away by The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire. This was an amazing movie year and making a list was all kinds of difficult. But here is what I could do.

THE BEST

10. The Wackness
Ben Kingsley was on sort of a downward spiral for the last few years without much hope of a resurrection. But The Wackness reminded us of how awesome Kingsley is. Sure, he had a few—ok, he had a lot of misses in the last few years, but that’s what you get for starring in a Uwe Boll film. Aside from Kinglsey’s great performance was Josh Peck’s and Olivia Thirlby’s, along with a great cameo by Method Man, and a wonderful score. Also, this is really a period piece of New York in 1994. I know, it’s strange to think of 1994 as a timeframe for a “period piece” but a lot has changed since then.

9. Tropic Thunder
Ok, so now one of the most popular quotes in cinema history is “I’m a dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude.” Robert Downey Fucking Jr. made this movie, yes, but that doesn’t mean his supporting cast (well, I suppose, technically, he was a supporting cast member) were bad. In fact, Jack Black was finally able to not hold back, the newcomers were excellent, and Tom Cruise gave a cameo that basically saved his image to most of the general public.

8. Charlie Bartlett
This film will be a cult classic for years to come, the way Ferris Bueller has. It was funny, it was serious when it needed to be. It had a cool character. And, it had Robert Downey Fucking Jr. I swear, how much more do you need in a cinematic year?

7. Iron Man

The answer to the question just posed in number 8 is this: You need more Robert Downey Fucking Jr. In fact, I hate paramount right now for postponing The Soloist to 2009 as I wanted a fourth awesome performance from the man. But in Iron Man, the spotlight was entirely on him and he became Tony Stark seamlessly. Everyone says that The Dark Knight was a game changer for superhero movies, but I disagree. Dark Knight was not amazing because of Christian Bale, necessarily, as it was a great director, a tone specifically not superhero, and Heath Ledger. Iron Man was a superhero film and Downey Jr. brought the genre up a notch by adapting himself to Stark—as well as Jon Favreau’s great direction. It was a character piece, which no superhero movie has really accomplished yet. Even if the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine does the same, it still can’t be as impressive as Iron Man since it will be the fourth time Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine, and Downey Jr. got Tony Stark perfectly on the first try. This was the year of Robert Downey Fucking Jr. I hope we soon get a Val Fucking Kilmer year soon (telling you, he should play Captain America)

6. Slumdog Millionaire
First of all it was co-directed by Danny Boyle, one of the greatest directors today (um, Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Trainspotting) and Dave Patel has so far been the only actor critics think actually stand a chance against Heath Ledger at Oscar time. Now, why Patel is nominated as supporting and not lead is strange—I think he would have a stronger chance in the lead department. Now, I don’t know many Bollywood films (I suppose I’m not white enough, according to the book Stuff White People Like), but I am definitely going to start paying more attention to what comes out of that little country somewhere out there by, like, I think China or Illinois.

5. Pineapple Express
James Franco was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as stoner Saul Silver. And when I saw that, I looked back at the film and realized he really did deserve the recognition. Rogen could not have carried the film on his own, but Franco could have. And I still can’t believe we’ve seen an artistic stoner film…but we did.

4. Burn After Reading
The Coen Brothers had to do something amazing after No Country for Old Men, and they did. Wow, did they. Burn After Reading was a great satire on Washingtonians (the DC brand) and the absuridity of it all. How these guys can make great comedies an dramas I will always be jealous of.

3. The Wrestler
One of my favorite movies is The Fountain, directed by Darren Aronofsky. Most people hate this film because they probably don’t understand it. Here’ what you don’t understand: It’s amazing. Deal with it. But it led me to a fear that the better Aronofsky directed, the more people would hate his films. Now, I’m not sure if I’d say The Wrestler was better than The Fountain, but it may be pretty close. If anything, Mickey Roarke was incredible, as were Marissa Tomei and her breasts—which also star in another great film called Before the Devil knows Your Dead.

Now, I have to do something I’ve never one before, since I started these lists 5 years ago.

TIED FOR FIRST

The Fall
Director Tarsem made a film so beautiful it was hard to watch at some points. I still can’t believe that this hasn’t been recognize before as everyone I’ve introduced it to moves it into their top films of all time. Now, it was in realease date limbo for almost 2 years, but did get a wide (if not quiet) release this year, so it fits the list. Watch it for the wonderful directing and cinematography, but also for the greatest child performance you will ever see.

The Dark Knight
I have googled things I wanted to mention on my second review of this film, but everything has literally been said about The Dark Knight. Even this. I’m actually ripping this idea from another reviewer who ripped it off of some other guy who ripped it off of—wait—me! Son of a bitch, I am copying myself. Let’s just o a rundown: Director Christopher Nolan? Awesome. Heath Ledger’s Joker? Awesome. Aaron Eckhart’s Harvery Dent? Awesome. Rest of the cast? Awesome. Story? Awesome. Music? Awesome. Batman’s voice? Awe—okay, so it wasn’t perfect in every way, but pretty damn close.

The ten that could have made it:
Changeling (so close)
WALL-E (Another so close)
In Bruges
Son of Rambow
Cloverfield
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Run Fatboy Run
Incredible Hulk (And who had a cameo? Robert Downey Fucking Jr)
Be Kind, Rewind
Wanted

Notables:
The Air I Breathe
My Blueberry Nights
Kung Fu Panda
Role Models
The Mutant Chronicles

The Worst (To make this section happier, I will post hot chicks with each title–most of them with an actress from the title, an if not, replaced with Angelina Jolie.)

10. 21
I love movies like this. Round up a decent cast, with two heavy hitters like Lawrence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey, a young an rising talent like Jim Sturgess, an awesome concept for a film—and then find a way to make it mediocre bullshit. Before the film came out, people were talking about Sturgess being the next Sinatra—and now they don’t even talk about him. Poor kid. Hey, I heard he might star as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: The Musical!…that’s something…right?

9. The Spiderwick Chronicles
Okay, so I actually sort of had fun with this movie…but the more it played through my min, and the more awesome movies this year produced, the lower on my list it went.

8. The Other Boleyn Girl

“I’m just The Other Boleyn Girl.” I kid you not, Natalie Portman utters these lines. And she wore a goddamn letter B on around her neck the entire movie so that what must be a freakishly retarded audience understood who the “other” Boleyn girl. Oh, and poor Sturgess…hit it so big with Across the Universe, but 2008 did not treat him well.

7. Smart People
I’m a smart person—I’m sure many of you are smart people. It is my belief that this film was made by a bunch of morons trying to feel good about themselves by having a bunch of smart people fuck up their lives and act like retards. You want to know a dirty secret—we all fuck up our lives the same.

6. Street Kings
“My name is Keanu. Forest Whitaker—please direct me through this cookie cutter plot to a completely predictable ending.”

5. Max Payne
I have no memory of this movie. It was so bad that it was immediately wiped from my mind. I think Wallberg was in it. It actually made Righteous Kill enjoyable for me.

4. Sex and Death 101
Here’s something a lot of people don’t know: there was once a time when Winona Ryder was a respectable actress!

3. Leatherheads

I will quote myself. See, I started to watch it, then got bored, cleaned my room, checked some e-mail, wrote a 400 page novel, and turned back to the screen to see Clooney still there: “THIS SHIT IS STILL ON?”

2. The Love Guru
I fucking hate you, Mike Meyes. Eat a dick!

1. The Happening
Oh, what could be said about this movie that and its awfulness? How about a story? M. Knight shops at the Borders I work at all the time. He’s an all right guy. His daughters, though, are awesome. Best kids I’ve ever helped. So, even though I thought this movie was horrendous, I’m still kind of jealous of the guy for having such an awesome family.

Wish I saw:
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Choke
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Hamlet 2
Transiberian
Blindness
Australia
Valkyrie
Seven Pounds

Looking forward to:
The Watchmen (if Fox doesn’t screw us over)

Defiance
The Soloist
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Fanboys
Adventureland
Transformers: Rise of the Fallen
Star Trek
Public Enemies
The Lovely Bones
Sherlock Homes

Final Thoughts:
2008 was an amazing movie year. Last year, I struggled making a top ten, this year, I struggled containing it to ten. But, nothing can last and next year looks pretty dismal so far.

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Other Products of Interest

• The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play
• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
• Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life
• Life on Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life
• Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

2008 wasn’t a big movie year in my honest opinion. But then maybe there weren’t any since 1994. Still, every year there are those few gems, movie buffs like me are strongly looking for. This year was rather poor in this spirit.

Let’s start with the most hyped, biggest event this year: Heath Ledger, the Dark Knight. Needless to say this film was great. Ledger’s acting was outstanding. And yes, this was the best Batman movie ever. But from pure IMDB Rating-Hype-Buzz point of view: was the Dark Knight as memorable as the Shawshank Redemption, the Godfather, Pulp Fiction, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fight Club, Taxi Driver, Memento, some random Hitchcock movie (e.g. North by Northwest, my favorite), or even the godlike It’s a Wonderful Life? In my honest opinion: no. Don’t get me wrong, it was an entertaining movie, with great plot twists and even a message. But still, in 10 years it will be perished in the shadow of grand movies like Apocalypse Now.

So were where those big movies this year? I really don’t know. (edit: With the release of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Wrestler and Gran Torino this line is obsolete now. [January 2009].) However I can tell you about some good movies. Let’s start with my three absolute favorites. The first is the rather unknown Felon with Stephen Dorff in leading role and Val Kilmer as supporting actor. A rather simple and realistic movie, staged in a prison. I won’t give away too much, but Dorff and Kilmer show some of the finest acting this year. The other one is the just recently released Seven Pounds. Overall a very deep and touching movie starring Will Smith. The only thing keeping this from my Top 10 is the fact, that the pace is getting a bit to slow in the second half of the movie. The third already opened 2007 in the UK: Boy A. It’s the story of a young boy Jack, trying to live that second chance live is granting him.
So if you are only going to watch three movies this year: it’s those three. All three are about injustice, guilt, second chances and redemption. Still all three are totally different.

But those weren’t the only watchable movies 2008. I also really enjoyed Ghost Town, a movie where Bertram Pincus can see dead people, M. Night Shyamalan’s from critics ripped appart The Happening, and the most new De Niro, Pacino Duet Righteous Kill. Feel-Good-wise I enjoyed WALL-E, and Nim’s Island, where Nim lives on an Island, who would have guessed. Hellboy II: The Golden Army maybe was the funniest movie of the year, closely followed by A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures which was also kind of sad. But that’s how life is, isn’t it aye? Traitor was that one intelligent movie about terrorism. Congratulations. Meanwhile in Street Kings Keanu Reeves had another chance to prove that he can’t act, but I still liked the movie a lot. And yes, Keanu, I still like you, even if you are an miserable actor. Don’t cry now, please?! In Be Kind Rewind Jack Black showed (Alas, again!) that success and money don’t spoil everyone per se. After Nacho Libre another crazy role most A-stars just wouldn’t sign a contract for. Action-wise Stallone’s new Rambo was the only pure action movie that made me cry – ever.

Well! Those were my highlights. Not much, uhm. After that there is this big, big box of so-so average movies. I will only name a few. If you really have the time on your hand to watch those, be my guest. Tropic Thunder was supposed to be a A-Actors-filled funny movie and sometimes it really was. But many times, it wasn’t. Besides some more or less good jokes the movie couldn’t deliver more and left you scratching your head. Maybe you missed it, but there was this new X-Files movie. And that’s all to say about it at this point. Transsiberian in many ways was a good and interesting movie, Woody Harrelson in fact shined in it. Still after watching the movie it just didn’t feel right. I don’t know why. But definitely some of the better ones. Kitamura’s The Midnight Meat Train was his USA debut. There was blood, gore, violence, yep everything you’d expect from a Kitamura flick. Still the quality of Versus is out of reach and we are all waiting for Versus 2 – since eight years. The narration of Vantage Point was clever but still this thriller was nothing more then average. Bank Job was Statham’s most entertaining film this year, compared to his abysmal Transporter 3 this was… well good. 21 a movie about playing cards and Vegas started promising, but just couldn’t fulfill the expectations. Cloverfield was great. I loved the visuals and the feeling of the HD-POV Camera. But besides that Cloverfield is a movie I won’t watch a second time. Because it’s pointless. If you have seen this movie, you will agree.

That’s it kids. Stay tuned for part II: The bad and the abysmal. There were a lot of pain-bad movies in 2008. Exactly like the 100 years before. I will tell you a bit about them. But not much. My brain forbid me to watch too many of those braincellkillers this year.

Ok, so i want to give a review for one of my favorite movies of this year.  The Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker starrer Street Kings.  Basically, this is alot like the motion picture version of the The Shield (TV Series) and has some tones and harshness of Training Day.  Keanu Reeves basically stars as a borderline corrupt cop who gets wrapped up in the investigation of his ex-partner’s death by gang bang.  The only issue with this is his ex-partner had recently turned him in for being corrupt and Keanu is trying to dodge Hugh Laurie’s beautifully played Investigative Cop thats tailing Keanu.  I’ve seen alot of bad reviews for this movie.  And frankly, its probably one of my top 10 best movies of the year.  It had a great cast with Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, House’s Hugh Laurie, Jay Mohr, and Chris Evans all as bad ass balls hanging bad mutha’s.  There is alot of corruption, cover up and leads to a great showdown between main characters at the end.  People that hated this movie I feel must’ve hated The Shield which was my favorite show this side of the Sopranos.  If i was giving a Five Star system this movie would get Four.

Day the Earth Stood Still, The (2008)
★★ / ★★★★

I haven’t seen the 1951 version by the time I wrote this review so I’m not going to compare the 2008 version to that one. That said, it’s interesting to me how Keanu Reeves can be so good at playing robotic characters (like Neo in “The Matrix” franchise) but so bad at playing real people that are supposed to be emotionally crippled or conflicted (as Alex Wyler in “The Lake House” and Detective Tom Ludlow in “Street Kings”). I thought he was effective here as Klaatu, a humanoid whose role is to determine whether the human species need to be obliterated in order to save the Earth. He was creepy, convincingly powerful, and had a definite sense of purpose. He claims that if the Earth dies, everything else will perish along with it but if all humans die, the Earth and everything that it nurtures will go on living. I thought that was a decent reasoning so I went along with it. What’s unforgivable, however, is its lack of human emotional core. That’s when Jennifer Connely and her step-son (Jaden Smith) come in. Their backstory isn’t enough to convince me why Reeves should spare the human race. In the end, I wanted to see an apocalypse because humans are portrayed as violent people (the United States army) and incapable of standing up to authority, such as when Kathy Bates (as the president’s Secretary of Defense) followed what the president wanted her to do despite her best instincts. There are only four things I liked about the movie which saved it from utter failure: the somewhat brilliant visual effects, Gort as Klaatu’s automaton companion, the idea of humans’ nature regarding a precipice and change, and John Cleese as the Nobel prize-winning professor who we meet in the middle of the picture. The rest is junk, which is a shame because the movie is started off very well. The director, Scott Derrickson, could’ve made a superior film that is more character-driven and less visually impressive. After all, the story is about humanity and why we should be saved from extinction. Since the director lost that core (or maybe he didn’t find it in the first place), the final product is a mess. This picture can be an enjoyable Netflix rental on an uneventful Friday night but do not go rushing into the cinema to see it.

Keanu Reeves in "Street Kings"

I think that Keanu Reeves is a fine actor.  He does not get the respect he deserves.  Here he gives a convincing performance as a border line dirty cop, who finds himself implicated in the slaying of a fellow officer.  This leads him to turn against the police culture he has always known, and begin questioning the values and loyalties of those around him.

It is too bad that he is not surrounded by a better movie.  Director David Ayer, writer of “Training Day”, seems more interested in slapping together a series of pointless gun fights, then really exploring the culture of corrupt cops.  By about the half way point of this movie I found myself getting bored by how routine it was becoming, which is a shame because so far the movie was going ok.

I liked the setup, and the conviction of the Reeves performance, but the movie didn’t really take it anywhere.

Push is a new action/sci-fi movie directed by Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin), written by David Bourla (Nostradamus) and boasting a talented cast comprised of Chris Evans (Street Kings), Dakota Fanning (The Secret Life Of Bees), Camilla Belle (10,000 BC) and Djimon Hounsou (the underrated Never Back Down).

Resembling somewhat the X-Men and Heroes, the film has young people with telekinetic and clairvoyant powers trying to escape from an evil agency. The film has been criticized for having poor special effects, but I think this trailer looks pretty cool and the effetcs seem fine to me. That and I think the cast is great and McGuigan’s last two films were great. Give me your thoughts in the comments.