Man on Fire (2004) ***1/2

Directed by Tony Scott

Denzel Washington, Dakota fanning, Marc Anthony,  Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin, Mickey Rourke, Jesus Ochoa

Rating: R

Running Time: 2 Hrs. 26 Mins.

Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Very violent story of a  hard-living military ops vet (Washington) who is hired as a bodyguard to protect Fanning from would-be kidnappers in Mexico City. Starts out great, then becomes a by-the-numbers revenge/vigilante movie,which is not entirely a bad thing. It's competent, but nearly gets sunk by overly slick moves such as unnecessary quick cuts and overuse of shaky handheld cams which end up becoming a distraction, as does the overuse of subtitles (Sometimes even when English is being spoken!) but it's saved by another great performance from Washington. Loose remake of a 1987 French film of the same title.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) ****1/2

Directed by Peter Jackson

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monoghan, Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, many others

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 3 Hrs. 20 Mins.

Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Conclusion of the epic J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy. Frodo is close to reaching his destiny at Mount Doom, while the forces of good and evil wage a final battle. It's long, but it's a tremendous achievement, and caps off the series perfectly. As always, the cast, and production team are at the tops of their games. The story is simultaneously heroic, and emotional. An amazing achievement, to be sure, although the only real flaw is the abundance of endings. Extended DVD Edition runs 4 Hrs. 11 Mins. 

Oscar Winner (11): Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, Best Original  Song ("Into the West"), Best Original Score

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) ****

Directed by Peter Jackson

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Bernard Hill, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Monoghan, Billy Boyd, Miranda Otto, Andy Serkis, many others

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 2 Hrs. 59 Mins.

Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

 Continuation of Tolkien's trilogy begins with the Fellowship separated, yet continuing the quest to prevent Middle-Earth from being destroyed by evil forces. The tone is darker than the first and the key word in this installment is "more". There's more action, more emotion, and more effects. The cast is still amazing, and the technical aspects of the film are unmatched. The character Gollum, a mixture of  Serkis' performance and CGI is one of the highlights. The only problem is the number of subplots get a bit tough to follow, and , being the middle installment, there's not really an ending. Extended DVD Edition runs 3 Hrs. 43 Mins.


Oscar Winner (2): Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects


Oscar Nomination (4): Best Picture, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Editing







 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) ****1/2

Directed by Peter Jackson

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Dominic Monoghan, Billy Boyd, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Sean Bean

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 2 Hrs. 58 Mins.

Original  Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Sprawling, epic adaptation of part one of J.R.R. Tolkein's classic fantasy trilogy of Frodo Baggins (Wood), a Hobbit who is chosen to embark on a quest to destroy a very powerful ring that can destroy all of Middle-Earth is an outstanding achievement. After a great introduction, it takes a bit of time to really pick up steam, but once it does it's rousing. The performances are good, and  the production values are nothing short of phenomenal. Director Jackson deserves the utmost credit for successfully committing to film a story long thought to be unfilmable. The entire trilogy was filmed at once. Extended DVD Edition runs 3 Hrs. 38 Mins.

Oscar Winner (4): Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, Best Original Score

Oscar Nominations (9): Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (McKellan), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Original Song ("May it Be")

Mallrats (1995) **1/2

Directed by Kevin Smith

Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London,  Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Michael Rooker, Ben Affleck, Renee Humphrey, Ethan Suplee, Joey Lauren Adams, Priscilla Barnes

Rating: R

Running Time: 1 Hr. 34 Mins.

Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

The premise is simple. Two losers, Brodie (Lee) and T.S. (London) are dumped by their girlfriends so the seek solace at the local mall and attempt to hatch a plan to win back the affections of their ladyfriends. There are some genuine laughs to be found, but some of the dialogue is head-scratching, and will have you asking "Who really talks like that?" Smith does what he does, after all this is basically "Clerks" in a mall. Whether that's a compliment is up to the viewer. Comic book legend Stan Lee appears as himself in a funny cameo. Extended Version runs 2 Hrs. 3 Mins.


Useless Fact: Despite bombing at the box office when originally released in 1995, Mallrats has achieved cult status as part of Smith's loosely connected View Askew  films.

The Lost Boys (1987) **1/2

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Weist, Keifer Sutherland, Barnard Hughes, Edward Hermann, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Jamison Newlander

Rating: R

Running Time: 1 Hr. 37 Mins.

Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 

A family moves to California, and their oldest son gets involved with the local teenage gang. The only twist is, they happen to be a gang of Vampires. It's slick, and occasionally funny....but also incredibly stupid. Feldman and Newlander are amusing as a couple if self-professed experts, who read too many comic books. Great soundtrack, too. Followed by a straight to DVD sequel 21 years later.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) ***

Directed by Frank Oz

Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, James Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, Levi Stubbs (voice)

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 1 Hr. 28 Mins.

Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

 Funny, entertaining black comedy-musical about a nerdy flower store employee (perfectly played by Moranis) who discovers a new plant species that initially brings good into his life, but turns out to be a monster. The cast is excellent. Greene played the same role on stage, and Martin is hilarious as a sadistic dentist. Towards the end it leaves the fun and humor behind and takes a turn towards nastiness. Based on the off-Broadway stage show, which was based on the 1960 Roger Corman film.

Oscar Nominations (2): Best Visual Effects, Best Original Song ("Mean Green Mother from Outer Space")