https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg7ga_yphd8

Released: August 2014

Director: Roger Donaldson

Run Time: 108 Minutes

Rated R

Cast:
Pierce Brosnan: Peter Devereaux
Olga Kurylenko: Alice
Luke Bracey: Mason
Bill Smitrovich: Hanley
Will Patton: Perry Weinstein

Spy movies have been around for decades.  We’ve seen films like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Bourne films just to name a few.  But when people think of the ultimate spy movie, they think of James Bond.  How can you not?  He is the definitive fictional spy.  The guy oozed swagger, charm and sophistication like no other.  He was also a bad-ass secret agent with fancy gadgets and wild villains.  Bond has been played by multiple actors: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby, and most recently, Daniel Craig.  But one actor known for playing James Bond, first played the role in one of my favorite Bond films ever: Goldeneye.  The actor: Pierce Brosnan.  Goldeneye was a phenomenal success and really put Mr. Brosnan on the map.  Having a fantastic career, Brosnan would reprise the role of James Bond three more times.  Unfortunately, his last outing as Bond, Die Another Day was a bit a dud.  12 years after that particular disaster, Pierce Brosnan would make a serious return to the world of intrigue in last year’s The November Man.

Starting off on a mission in Moscow, Russia, CIA agent Devereaux and his partner Mason are security detail for a local politician who’s made some particularly nasty enemies.  Assuming the identity of the politician in question, Devereaux is attacked by a gunman, who is eventually shot by Mason.  Unfortunately, there was a casualty: a young boy was caught in the crossfire.  5 years later, Devereaux has left the agency, but is approached by a former colleague, Hanley, who convinces Devereaux to re-enter the field to retrieve an undercover agent.  The agent in question knows someone who may have considerable information on a Russian presidential nominee.  While Devereaux makes contact with the agent, she is shot and killed by another agent.  His cover blown, Devereaux escapes with the agent’s phone and tries to find out what’s happening and why.

I love spy movies.  More importantly, I love GOOD spy movies.  Of all the James Bond movies out there, I like a great many, but there were few that were truly exceptional.  Goldeneye was an exceptional one.  Pierce Brosnan was fantastic as Bond.  The November Man marks Brosnan’s return to the genre, and it’s absolutely fantastic.  Original?  Not particularly.  But seeing Brosnan in full-on spy-mode is simply breathtaking.  Pierce has always been an amazing actor and he absolutely nails it here.  While some might compare The November Man to the Brosnan’s James Bond pictures, the difference between the characters is night and day.  James Bond was witty; he always had a punchline.  Devereaux is a very hard-edged character who’s trying to leave his past behind him.  This is Pierce Brosnan’s show, through and through.  Brosnan fits into the spy role like a glove and seeing him wreak havoc in this movie is exciting.  Bill Smitrovich has a bit of a smarmy role as Hanley who may or may not be telling the whole truth(he is a spy, after all).  Luke Bracey plays Devereaux’s former protege.  The gorgeous Olga Kurylenko plays Alice, a person who helps victimized and abused women.  Will Patton plays the head of the CIA: Perry Weinstein.  I’m not sold on Bracey.  His performance comes across as forced.  Physically, he obviously can handle the role, but when it comes to delivering on emotion, he just stumbles.  Kurylenko is simply natural as Alice.  She brings a grace and vulnerability to the role, while hiding secrets of her own.  I’ve always liked Kurylenko.  Besides the fact that she is simply a stunning woman, she’s also a good actress in her own right.  She’s also no stranger to the spy genre.  She starred alongside Daniel Craig in Quantum Of Solace.

With spy movies comes action, and The November Man really delivers.  Unlike the James Bond films, The November Man’s violence is particularly brutal.  No CG shots or explosions, it’s all done in camera, and the film is much better for it.  Pierce Brosnan handles the action like a pro and it shows.  He’s clearly in fantastic shape, because there are times when he takes a real beating.  His character has a very personal stake in the plot, and the way things happen around Devereaux happen for a reason.  The action helps drive the story which, in true spy movie fashion, takes various twists and turns.  Sadly, those twists and turns are telegraphed a mile away.  The story can be heavy and predictable at times, but it is never boring.  While the action sequences are spectacular, some obvious cliches tend to creep into the picture at times.  Roger Donaldson is no stranger to action movies, as he’s directed some pretty good ones like Dante’s Peak, which also starred Pierce Brosnan.  But I’m not entirely convinced that Donaldson can handle a spy movie the way someone like Martin Campbell can.  But I will have to admit, that Donaldson pulls no punches with this one.  This is about as violent as a spy movie can get without it becoming over-the-top.

While the film’s imperfections stand out like a sore thumb, I feel that the whole movie is greater than the sum of its parts.  It’s an exciting film that doesn’t overstay its welcome.  While I’m not convinced that Bracey has what it takes to act the part of a spy, Brosnan is absolutely in his element.  He carries the movie like you wouldn’t believe.  I don’t think that The November Man is going to win any awards, it still stands on its own as a solid, if predictable, spy thriller.  The writing is pretty good, and the direction is solid.  The action is fast, slick and hard-hitting, but never borders on the ridiculous.  Overall, this was surprisingly not a bad movie.  I’m giving this one an 8.5/10.  It’s certainly not perfect, but it gets the job done, like James Bond, er, Pierce Brosnan.  It’s worth a rental at least.  Check it out.

Released: July 2011(China)

Movie Trailer

Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan

Run Time: 98 Minutes(American Release)

Rated R

Cast:
Donnie Yen: Liu Jin-Xi
Takeshi Kaneshiro: Detective Xu Bai-Ju
Wei Tang: Ah Yu
Yu Wang(Jimmy Wang Yu): The Master

Of all the genre’s in film that I enjoy, there is one sub-genre of action that has always appealed to me: Martial arts.  I grew up watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies as did many people.  Like many people, Lee and Chan were my inspiration for taking up martial arts myself.  There’s a number of reasons why I love martial arts movies.  It is absolutely amazing to see what the human body is capable of.  Yeah, some of these films utilize wires and special effects, but the way some of these actors move can only be accomplished by someone who has been trained as a martial artist.  There is a sub-genre within the martial arts film world called wuxia.  Literally translated, wuxia means “martial hero.”  While the term wuxia is actually fairly new, stories about Chinese heroes goes back over 2,000 years, so it’s not a new kind of story.  In the film world, wuxia films generally take place in during the time when China was an empire.  A hero in the wuxia world generally comes from a lower class citizenship and serves no lord.  He or she fights for righteousness, removing tyrants and bringing retribution for past misdeeds.  There are a lot of wuxia movies out there right now.  Among the finest are the Once Upon a Time In China films starring Jet Li, 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Hero.  One of the largest characteristics of a wuxia film is its fantasy setting which incorporates the use of wires during action sequences, giving the action a very exaggerated yet spectacular flair.  For some people, a lot of wuxia films are just too similar.  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon didn’t garner much attention in China, because they see those movies all the time.  A few years back, a nifty little kung-fu movie came out which changed things up a little bit.

Set in the backdrop of the waning days of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Xia follows a man by the name Liu Jin-Xi, as he makes his way to a nearby village as a paper-maker.  Shortly after, his shop is attacked by two high-way robbers.  An ensuing scuffle ends up with the two robbers dead and Jin-Xi with just barely a scratch.  A local detective, Xu Bai-Ju, is brought in to ascertain what had happened.  After interviewing Jin-Xi and inspecting the crime scene, Bai-Ju comes to the conclusion that only a skilled martial artist was capable of killing the two robbers who happened to be trained killers themselves.  Suspecting Jin-Xi of being that martial artist, Bai-Ju follows Jin-Xi around observing him and his behavior.  As it turns out, Jin-Xi may not be the person that everyone thinks he is.

One of the first things I noticed was that we see the opening fight scene happen twice.  Once as it was actually taking place and when it was being analyzed by the detective.  When it first happens, we see Donnie Yen’s character just grab a hold of one of the assailants while he’s being swung around.  It’s pretty funny actually.  When we see Takeshi Kaneshiro’s character analyze the situation, we see the fight differently.  Instead of the bumbling oafishness that Jin-Xi described, what actually happened was that the two robbers never had a chance.  We see Jin-Xi for the martial artist that he is, and it is spectacular.  That brings me to interesting observation:  There really aren’t a whole lot of fight scenes in the movie.  Odd, isn’t it?  This is a movie starring Donnie Yen, one of the greatest martial arts actors of the past 3 decades and it only has 3 fight scenes?  Here’s the thing: Wu Xia is just as much a kung-fu movie as it is a police procedural drama.  One could say that this is CSI: Qing Dynasty.  You wouldn’t necessarily be wrong.  There’s a lot of elements in the film which look like they have been borrowed from CSI.  That makes it fairly unique, because this isn’t just a straight-up fight movie.  There’s more to it than that.  While there only three big action set pieces in the film, each one is hard-hitting and brutal.

Donnie Yen, who I would consider to be my favorite martial arts actor today, not only serves as the main actor, but is also the action director and fight choreographer.  Instead of utilizing MMA-style fighting like he has in some of previous films, Yen opts for a more traditional kung-fu style of fighting.  Make no mistake about it, Donnie Yen is fast.  In fact, I would consider him to be one of the fastest martial artists in the world.  His choreography is unique and very elegant and spectacular, especially when he takes on the two assassins.  But that’s not only his real contribution to the movie.  Wu Xia also gives Donnie Yen room to flex his acting chops, and he does extraordinarily well.  His character is not only a husband and father, but when faced with revealing what he is capable of, Yen really gives Jin-Xi a very sympathetic quality.  Takeshi Kaneshiro is the detective with a past of his own, but is sworn to uphold the law no matter what.  The character is very detail-oriented, and he has a way of correctly deducing what happens in situations that involve Jin-Xi.  It’s kind of a cat-and-mouse game between the two characters, and it’s not only humorous at times, it’s also very compelling and convincing.  Kaneshiro is just absolutely fantastic.  So, who’s the villain of the film?  He’s simply known as The Master, the leader of the  72 Demons, a bloodthirsty gang.  The Master is played by the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu who’s known for his role in The One-Armed Swordsman and Master of the Flying Guillotine.  He’s got the physical presence and stature to be a fantastic villain, and while he doesn’t appear that often in the film, he’s memorable and ruthless.

If there’s really a downside to the film, it’s that there is only 3 real fight scenes, but each sequence serves a purpose and helps drive the story forward.  There’s definitely some wire-fu in here, so for people used to seeing martial artists like Tony Jaa, Scott Adkins, and Tim Man do their stuff without wires, this may be a little off-putting, but I feel it’s appropriate, because it’s a wuxia movie at it’s core.  It’s a surprisingly thoughtful and well-made film that attempts to add something different to the kung fu formula.  Donnie Yen is one of the go to guys for martial arts movies, because he’s extremely talented.  Not only is he a fantastic martial artist, but he’s a pretty damn good actor too.  That’s a rare combination to find.  When it’s all said and done, Dragon(Wu Xia) is a very solid film in every respect.  It’s got humor, great acting, a compelling story and some awesome action sequences that will satisfy most kung-fu junkies.  I’m giving this one a 9/10.  Highly recommended.

Released: March 2010

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Run Time: 98 Minutes

Rated PG

Cast:
Jay Baruchel: Hiccup
Gerard Butler: Stoic
Craig Ferguson: Gobber
America Ferrera: Astrid
Jonah Hill: Snotlout

Animated pictures have been a staple of cinema for decades.  From Disney’s old hand-drawn films like Snow White to fully CGI-animated pictures like Toy Story and Wall-E, we have seen animation change and evolve throughout the years.  Sometimes, the best stories and films are the animated ones.  I say that, because with animation, there is no limit to the human imagination.  You can come up with something fairly realistic, or go totally over the edge crazy.  While we saw a combination of hand-drawn animation and cg in films like Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin, it wasn’t until 1995’s Toy Story that we got our first fully CG film.  Today, the technology has gotten to the point where it almost looks like the hand-drawn films of old.  Disney’s Tangled is one such movie.  In 2010, Dreamworks Animation Studion released a film based on a children’s book entitled, How To Train Your Dragon.

How To Train Your Dragon takes place on the Viking island of Berk, where it snows 9 months out of the year and hails the other three.  It seems like the biggest pests they’ve got is dragons, so the Vikings have trained to kill dragons.  That’s pretty much their lot in life.  Except for one: Hiccup.  The smallest of the Vikings, Hiccup can’t throw an axe or do anything that most Vikings are able to do.  He has an imagination and is an inventor.  So when the village comes under attack from dragons, Hiccup gets an opportunity to test his newest contraption.  While everyone else is fighting the dragons, Hiccup uses the opportunity to sneak out of the blacksmith’s shop and actually manages to to take down a mysterious Night Fury, a dragon that no one has ever been able to see or kill.  Sadly, his escapade goes unnoticed because he inadvertently interferes with battle, causing the captured dragons to go free.  Stoic, the head Viking and Hiccup’s father gets Gobber to take Hiccup home, not believing Hiccup.  Sneaking out of the house, Hiccup manages to find the Night Fury and befriends the dragon.

I never thought I would see a movie that had so much…personality.  How To Train Your Dragon is one of the most visually unique and touching movies that I have ever seen.  In some ways, it’s a kind of a coming-of-age kind of story where Hiccup is trying to find his place among his peers, and fails often hilariously.  For an animated film, Dragon has a surprising amount of depth and heart to the whole endeavor.  We have Hiccup, who’s trying to make his mark.  There’s Stoic who is the head-strong leader of the Viking community and Gobber, the sarcastic blacksmith who happens to be missing an arm and a leg.  He also has a rock for a tooth.  I wasn’t lying when I said this movie had personality.  Each of the characters in the film has a very unique personality attached to it.  What helps is the voice talent which really brings out those qualities.  I will say that I do not believe a Viking should be without a Scottish accent.  Gerard Butler goes full on with his natural accent and gives Stoic a very strong yet vulnerable stature.  Butler has become one of my favorite actors over the past several years because he’s very flexible as an actor.  Allowing him to just use his voice for a character frees him up to be the tough guy he portrays in his movies.  Comedian Craig Ferguson is a riot as Gobber.  In the toughest and life-threatening situations, this guy always finds a way to lighten the mood, and Ferguson delivers every line with that awesome Scottish snark.  Jay Baruchel has become one of the most unique actors in the industry because his talent seems so natural.  He brings his trademark deadpan humor to the role which makes Hiccup genuine and a very relatable character.  Every actor associated with this movie brings their A-game.  I’ve never been a big fan of Jonah Hill, but he’s absolutely hilarious as Snotlout.  Astrid is a very strong female character who tries to be the best but gets sabotaged by Hiccup’s clumsiness.  America Ferrera gives a fiery performance that rivals some of the best female characters in film.

The whole personality thing isn’t just for the human characters.  The dragons in How To Train Your Dragon are some of the most unique creatures I have ever seen.  They are of all varying sizes and shapes, and each one also has it’s own personality.  The one that steals the show is Toothless, the Night Fury.  The creature, while obviously a reptile, has some very unique qualities.  Toothless is probably one of the most expressive characters in film.  The way he’s animated kind of reminds you of a cat or dog.  Toothless is extraordinarily detailed.  His eyes will go from a slit-pupil showing that he’s angry to big and round showing that he’s curious and trusting.  The relationship between Toothless and Hiccup is one of kinship.  Hiccup sees a little bit of himself in Toothless, and as the movie progresses, their bond gets stronger.  You can’t help but like these characters.  They are absolutely unique and colorful and helps the movie stand out from the rest.  One of the most important characteristics of an animated film is its writing.  How To Train Your Dragon is surprisingly well-written and clever.  The way each character relates to one another is amazing.  The movie is genuinely funny.  It’s also a very thrilling film.   There’s a lot exciting scenes here.  One of the best is when Hiccup is riding Toothless for the first time.  It is intense.  The final battle is nothing short of epic, but I won’t spoil it for you.  The action is awesome with humor thrown in, which makes the movie that much more compelling.  The musical score by John Powell gives the film  it’s unique sense of playfulness and excitement.  I have the soundtrack, it’s that good.

There are scenes in the film which may be kind of scary for the youngsters, hence its PG rating.  In conclusion though, this is a film for everyone to enjoy.  It’s heartwarming.  It’s funny and its exciting.  It’s a perfect combination with some of the best animation that DreamWorks Animation Studios has delivered to this point.  It’s become a very popular film that has various spin-offs and sequel that’s already available on home video.  If you have a Blu-Ray player and an HDTV, I highly recommend getting the Blu-Ray version of the film.  The detail is amazing right down the hair strands.  I don’t think I can recommend How To Train Your Dragon enough.  It’s a great ride from beginning to end, and it has something for everyone.  9/10 is my final verdict.