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Edge of Darkness, a review by Rick

Edge of Darkness



Overview:
The bullet that killed his daughter was meant for Boston cop Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson). That's what Craven and police brass think, but that's not what the investigation finds. In fact,
the search leads into a shadowy realm where money and political intrigue intersect. Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) directs from a screenplay written by Andrew Bovell andThe Departed's William Monhan.

My Thoughts:
I liked this movie the 1st time, when it was called Ransom. This is the typical good guy going rogue someone he loved is kidnapped/killed/etc. While it's not quite as good as last year's "Taken" I did enjoy it. I actually watched it over a week ago but am just now getting around to posting the review. 

There are a couple of jump out of your seat moments, mostly due to a loud noise at a quiet time. The loud noise typically coincides with someone getting wasted pretty violently. The kind of scene that makes you look at the person you're watching with to see if their reaction was similar to yours.

Some different type relationships between the characters in this. Gibson's character (Thomas Craven) and a 'cleaner'. played by Ray Winstone is one of these. The two have obviously led similar yet completely different lives and seem to have what could only be called a mutual respect for each other. Winstone's character has his own mission and it plays out quite nicely I believe.

Another interesting relationship is between Gibson and his daughter, played by Bojana Novakovic (Drag Me to Hell). Kraven tries real hard to relate with his daughter when she comes home to visit. There isn't much time for them to show this relationship while she is alive... so they continue after she is killed. Throughout the movie he continues to talk to her and interact with her, many times as a child. It's done in a way where you can put yourself in that situation. Like one time they show him shaving and next thing you know he is remembering when he taught her to shave (cute scene). The relationship, even though it's only in his head, continues to the end of the movie where it (sorry - not going to say it  ).
 
The picture and sound was good on the Blu-ray. Nothing stunning, but it's not like you're watching Planet Earth or something like that.
 
Over all it's a pretty good movie with some decent twists. Nothing spectacular but good enough to own and watch more than once, just wait for a sale. I got my Blu at Target for $10.00 and feel it was certainly worth it.

My Rating


(From Rick's "Vowels Only" Marathon Reviews on July 12th, 2010)

The Last Airbender, a review by Dragonfire

The Last Airbender

I have heard of the carton, but I haven't seen it.  I really have no idea what was changed for the movie - though I'm sure some stuff was..it always is.  I also don't know why the decision was made to make it a live action movie instead of animated like the cartoon.

The story is interesting.  It seems like it will be rather complicated after a few things are set up, but it really isn't.  Too many scenes drag on too long.  That doesn't just happen early in the movie when characters are introduced and the situation is set up.  Some of scenes fairly late in the movie drag too much as well.  Things do pick up every so often, but as soon as the action is done - courtesy of some fights between the various benders - the pace slows back down.  The pacing is very uneven.  I enjoyed the movie overall and didn't get bored, but I do think the pace is a bit too slow overall.  For what happens in this movie, there isn't a need for a slow build up.

The action scenes are done well and it does look cool when the water or fire is being controlled by a bender and used in a fight.  There don't seem to be any lingering effects to the elements though.  Characters hit by the water aren't wet..characters hit by the fire aren't burned or singed.  I have no idea if that is how it worked in the cartoon, but it is a bit odd.  The fighting is done with the different elements, so there really isn't much in the way of violence. 

Character development is lacking for all the characters.  A little more is shared about Aang, but it isn't enough.  Katara is a bit better, but her brother Sokka really suffers, seeming to just be tagging along.  The Fire Lord is just trying to further the Fire Nation's domination.  Prince Zuko has a bit more motivation, but he still comes across as a flat character. 

From what I've read after seeing the movie, it is based on the first season of the animated series.  I've also read that this is supposed to be the first movie in a trilogy..though I've heard that about other movies before and the other movies still haven't been made.  So who knows.  I would see the other movies if they get made because I think the story is interesting even though the pacing is messed up. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

The Last Airbender

(From The Last Airbender on July 11th, 2010)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: SG-1 is still searching for the "Lost City" or - as Jonas translates it now - "City of the Lost", a city of the Ancients that wasn't fully completed. They try to find the city with the help of the Gate addresses Jack entered into the computer when he had the knowledge of the Ancients. But they find something different - someone, to be precise.

My Opinion: The attack on Anubis's ship was a nice homage to the battle above Yavin in Star Wars IV, including Jack's comment that his F-302 (it's obviously not eXperimental anymore) should have the call sign "Red Leader". Michael Shanks has re-joined the main cast and returns to his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson. And while I liked Jonas, Daniel is somehow better. Jack and Daniel know each other for over seven years and even in the end Jonas was still "the new guy". The chemistry between Jack and Daniel worked instantaneously again in terms of: they like each other but are totally different.

Synopsis: Daniel and Jonas are still aboard Anubis's ship which hovers now over the capitol of Kelowna. Anubis wants to have the Naqahdriah and the knowledge of how to create a stable reaction.

My Opinion: On one hand it's understandable that Jonas returns home. Daniel is back and all three countries on his home planet know about the Stargate now. It's a bit sad, though. But since Daniel and he had basically the same role within SG-1 it would be hard to acknowledge this fact in future scripts.

Synopsis: When Jack awakes one morning, he is a teenanger of fifteen years. No one believes that he is Colonel Jack O'Neill. After his DNA has been confirmed they try to find out what happened and how to reverse it.

My Opinion: This time I even looked on the clock. The first appearance of RDA was in the 31st minute of this 42 minute episode. On the other hand one has to get used to it since his screen time will drop considerably from the 8th season on.
But it was good to see that not all Asgard are good and perfect, that even they have black sheeps.

Synopsis: After T'ealc has been wounded on a mission, he begins to doubt himself. Since he has lost "Junior" and has begun to inject Tretonin he doesn't feel as a full-fledged Jaffa anymore. But then there's a new crisis arising, Bra'tac and Rya'c are prisoners in a work camp that one only leaves dead.

My Opinion: A very good episode to show that something has changed for Teal'c. A symbiote has been part of his body for about 90 years (Teal'c is approximately 104 years old at this time) and now this part is missing. I can imagine that this is hard to get used to. I also liked the scene where his son helped im through the crisis by letting Teal'c kill the other Jaffa with his bare hands.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on April 13th, 2008)