Mini Reviews

Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

Grade: A-

This movie was fantastic. If you have seen the first two Underworld movies then this is a must see. Taking place during the dark ages, Rise of the Lycans is about how the feud between Vampires and Werewolves started. Bill Nighy is back as the evil and corrupt head of the vampires, Victor. Michael Sheen is back as Lucian, the first werewolf that can transform back into a human at will. Victor uses Lucian to create a new breed of werewolves that can serve them and protect them during the day. Lucian falls in love with Victor’s daughter Sonja, as played by Rhona Mitra. Lucian, wanting to be free of his shackles, convinces the rest of the Lycans to rise up and free themselves, then starting the centuries long feud between the two. Rhona Mitra was excellent as Sonja, Michael Sheen was great as Lucian and Bill Nighy was superb as the very intense Victor. The effects were great and the action was a plenty. I highly recommend this movie if you are a fan of the genre.

New In Town

Grade: D+

This movie, about an executive from a corporation in Miami who moves, temporarily, to a small town in Minnesota in the middle of winter to oversee the transition of a plant, was cute. Renee Zellweger plays Lucy Hill, an executive who apparently has never experienced winter. Harry Connick Jr. plays Ted Mitchell, a union rep and single father of a teenage daughter. Siobhan Fallon plays Blanche Gunderson, a Midwestern woman with a killer recipe for Tapioca and Lucy’s assistant. But the man who stole the show is J.K Simmons as Stu Kopenhafer, the plant manager. I don’t know why, but they decided to make J.K. Simmons quite fat. This movie had a few laughs and your typical hate turns to love story and unfortunately most of the big laughs are in the trailer for the movie. None the less, this movie is a very good date movie.

Taken

Grade: B+

I love a good vengeance movie so I was pretty excited to see this, and it was worth it. Liam Neeson plays an ex-spy who has retired to try to spend more time, and get closer to, his daughter who lives with her mom and rich stepdad. His daughter goes to Paris and ends up getting kidnapped by human traffickers, he then tells the kidnappers that he will find them, kill them and get his daughter back. The rest of the movie is very suspenseful as he uses every resource and bit of training he has to rack these people down and get save his daughter. Filled with action and suspense I was on the edge of my seat through most of the movie. There is some pretty shocking scenes and Liam Neeson kicks some serious butt. Well worth it.

DVD: War, Inc.

I had heard of this movie and I like John Cusack so I thought I’d rent it and give it a try. Definitely worth watching, John Cusack is back as a hitman, Marisa Tomei is a left wing reporter and Hilary Duff is hilarious as a Middle Eastern pop star with such great song as “I want to Blow You… Up”. This movie is a great satire about the war in the middle east and coporations rebuilding the countries. Very funny all around with some good action. If you get a chance, pick this one up.