The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - 8 stars out of 10

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - 8 stars out of 10

“The Thomas Crown Affair” is a great heist movie.  This remake delivers energy, suspense and an ending that will blow your mind.  Pierce Brosnan plays the rich playboy to perfection.  He is so smooth that he could have probably told the cops that it was him and they would’ve just left him alone.  I was particularly impressed with Denis Leary.  I don’t typically associate him with great acting, but his character came to life and he developed good chemistry with Rene Russo.  It was really awesome of them to include Faye Dunaway in a cameo, since the original “Thomas Crown Affair” was one of her career-defining roles.  One strength of this remake is the stress that is put on the heist, making it much more interesting than the long-winded love story that dominates the original.  Still, the love drags the story down a bit in this version, particularly the 3-minute sex scene featuring Pierce Brosnan’s butt.  I'm just glad that they don't play chess in this version!  The cinematography enhances the wonder of Brosnan whisking Russo off to the exotic destinations and it is easy to see how this case becomes a conflict of interest.  Brosnan’s posterior is redeemed by the riveting ending that is so genius that I don’t dare spoil it!  The art gallery robbery and investigation are great and you’ll have no idea how the story could possibly be resolved until the very end.  “The Thomas Crown Affair” is not a film that you will want to miss and if you have to choose between the original and the remake, you now have your answer.

Easy Rider (1969) - 5 stars out of 10

Easy Rider (1969) - 5 stars out of 10

Most film critics adore “Easy Rider” but I think that I have a difficult time appreciating it because I did not grow up in the 60’s.  I think that it does an amazing job of capturing the 60’s culture and values (as far as I know), even though there was a dozen too many motorcycle montages for me.  This societal piece touches on the hippie movement and society’s perception of them, drug usage, and free love.  The film definitely aims for realism, using real drugs on-screen, relying on improvisation through its very limited screen play, and using native “hillbillies” on location.  Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda offer good performances, but the film did not interest me very much.  It is worth watching for Jack Nicholson’s Oscar-nominated performance, but I would recommend then skipping the disturbing LSD sequence and fastforwarding to the last 5 minutes.  “Easy Rider” captures the counterculture of the 1960’s, but will probably only appeal to you if you experienced it.

The Good Son (1993) - 4 stars out of 10

The Good Son (1993) - 4 stars out of 10

“The Good Son” was not a very good idea.  This PG drama starring Macaulay Culkin is not like “Home Alone” and “My Girl”; in fact, Culkin’s father insisted that the studio use his son in this role to prove his ability to play darker roles.  Why does America’s beloved 10-year-old have to play “darker roles”?  While the rating indicates that the writers kept this film clean enough for families to watch together, I cannot imagine a parent who could justify allowing their child to watch (and probably later imitate) their hero as he kills a dog and causes a massive traffic incident using pranks similar to those that popularized the Home Alone franchise.  This would have probably scarred me as a child, so thank goodness for the good parental judgment that prevented this film from being a hit.  Aside from the inappropriateness of its target audience, the quality of the film is average.  It is a simple story with a predictable revelation at the end with child actors who perform at the level that you would expect of children.  Probably the most interesting part of this film is watching 11-year-old Elijah Wood.  He is such a recognizable actor, but it is crazy to see him at such a young age!  Wendy Crewson also delivers a nice role as the mother, but the film just isn’t that interesting.  I would recommend seeing this film for Wood as a child but don’t mistake the film’s rating as a guarantee for a fun family film.

The Player: Secrets of a Vegas Whale - 6 stars out of 10

The Player: Secrets of a Vegas Whale - 6 stars out of 10

This short documentary is interesting and informative, but nothing earth shattering.  “The Player: Secrets of a Vegas Whale” studies the strategies of Don Johnson, a self-made millionaire through strategic high roller gambling.  Most people understand the concept and even some strategy of Blackjack, but there is a layer of this card game that the average gambler never gets to see.  In order to attract high rollers to their tables, casinos will offer incentives to bring the big money through their doors.  Johnson shares his secrets of how he negotiated the house rules to take the advantage away from the dealers and walk away with 15 million dollars.  This interesting presentation of Vegas history and high roller strategy is worth a quick 43 minutes of your life, whether you are interested in gambling or not.

RoboCop (2014) - 8 stars out of 10

RoboCop (2014) - 8 stars out of 10

This is what “Robocop” was meant to be.  I know that most critics disagree, but I believe this to be better than the original.  Hi-tech computer simulations, heavy artillery, and realistic robots have rebooted this film series into the twenty-first century.  When “Robocop” first came out in 1987, it was definitely ahead of its time.  The story was innovative, the violence pushed the boundaries of acceptability, but the technology led to some awkward stop-motion and a man in a metallic suit.  27 years later, CGI has allowed José Padilha to show detective Alex Murphy in his inhuman form (just a head and a hand) and the necessity of the Robocop transformation.  The heads up display inside of his helmet and computer technology used by OmniCorp to control and track him also transport us into the near-future setting of “this could exist in 15 years, but not yet.”   This franchise was always pretty dark.  The Detroit crime scene is very unpleasant and it was time for this film to join the recent “dark” reboots of Batman, Spiderman, and Star Trek.  The casting crew did a really great job by bringing in Gary Oldman as the morally conflicted doctor, Michael Keaton as the villain, and Samuel L. Jackson as the political tv host representative of the media’s uncanny influence on politics.  Joel Kinnaman was the perfect choice for Alex Murphy, providing a massive body to fill the suit and an ability to transition between emotional duress and non-emotion.  This film masquerades as a cool action film but actually raises some tough moral questions about medical technology, the media, and arms company ethics.  A lot of people argue that something was lost in translation between the original and this reboot, but once you’ve seen this modern update of “Robocop” it will be difficult to go back to the original.

The Battered Bastards of Baseball - 7 stars out of 10

The Battered Bastards of Baseball - 7 stars out of 10

This Netflix original documentary explores the short history of the Portland Mavericks, the only independent single-A baseball club of the 1970’s.  The story is interesting, the conspiracy behind their demise is surprising, but the most fascinating aspect of this film is its connection to movie star Kurt Russell.  Not only was this team owned by his father Bing (who was also a well-known actor), but Kurt played for this ballclub between acting stints.  It will not take long for you to feel an attachment to this underdog team, much like the baseball fans of Portland from 1973-1977.  For baseball fans, it gives insight into minor league baseball.  For non-baseball fans, it’s a truly interesting story.  Interviews with Russell and the other members of this ballclub create a biographical perspective that stresses the importance of these events to this hodgepodge of rejected baseball players.  Some of the players use strong language that is not entirely necessary, but it is worth it to learn about the rise and fall of this unlikely successful group.

Freedom Writers - 10 stars out of 10

Freedom Writers - 10 stars out of 10

“Freedom Writers” is a stunning story about the perseverance of students whose troubles reach far beyond their classroom encounters, and the teacher who believes in them so much that they cannot help but succeed.  This character-driven film contains several interesting storylines but the poignancy of this film comes from its truthfulness.  Not only does this film tell a true story, but the story comes from the written words of the characters themselves.  The things that these teenagers must endure are unbelievable, and yet we know that they are true because the script is developed from their real life journal entries in the nonfiction “Freedom Writers Diary.”  While the students wage a war against gang influences and racial stereotypes, teacher Erin Gruwell fights her own battles to show the community why they should invest in these students and to show her husband and father why she cannot abandon them.  “Inspirational” is an understatement.  Hilary Swank shines as she captures the inexperience, insecurity, and internal drive of this teacher.  She is so good that the film feels like a documentary.  The actors playing the students are so great that you would think they were the actual students.  Whether you are a teacher or not “Freedom Writers” will inspire you and make you look at the world in an entirely new way.