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The American, a review by Dragonfire

I was interested in seeing The American when I first saw the trailer.  I had the chance to see it recently.  While I think the movie is good and done very well, it isn't exactly what I was expecting because of the trailer.  It looked like the movie was going to be more of an action thriller type of movie.  While there are elements of a thriller, this is not an action movie by any stretch of the imagination.  People expecting an action packed movie may end up disappointed.  There is a little bit of action in one or two scenes, but that is not enough to make this an action movie.  Things are more restrained.  I do think that works for the movie, though other people may feel differently.

The movie is focused on Jack, some kind of hitman.  When the movie begins, he is with a woman in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Sweden.  It sort of seems like he's on vacation, though it doesn't take long for him to jump into action when men show up trying to kill him.  He ends up hiding out in a small town in Italy while his contact Pavel says he is trying to deal with the situation in Sweden.  Pavel convinces Jack, who is using the name Edward, to take another job.  While working on that, he starts seeing Clara, a prostitute and the two eventually start a social relationship.

Jack/Edward does seem to be struggling with some things throughout the movie.  At times he shows that he is still good at his job, and others, he seems to be slipping.  His developing a relationship with Clara, as well as a friendship with a priest, do seem to be signs that he wants to stop the work and have a somewhat more normal life.  The movie is more focused on what Jack/Edward is going through than on action.  Things are handled in a subtle way that I think works, though it will probably disappoint some viewers. 

George Clooney is the only cast member that I recognize.  He does a really good job as Jack/Edward.  The part is different from everything else I've seen him play.  Jack goes through a lot during the movie.  Some things end up being shared about him, but a lot remains a mystery by the end. The other characters are sort of interesting, though not much is shared about them.  The cast does fine with the parts.

I think the movie is very well done and is worth seeing.  It isn't going to appeal to a lot of people though.  I did enjoy it overall, though I don't know that I want to see it again.



I did post a review on Epinions.

The American

(From The American on September 17th, 2010)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon, a review by Tom

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Concorde Home Entertainment (Germany) Director: Chris Weitz Writing: Melissa Rosenberg (Screenwriter), Stephenie Meyer (Original Material By) Length: 131 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Commentary: DTS 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: German, Commentary

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Stars:
Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan
Christina Jastrzembska as Gran/Bella
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen
Billy Burke as Charlie Swan
Anna Kendrick as Jessica

Plot:Awards:
Won:

MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Best Female Performance (Kristen Stewart)
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Best Kiss (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson)
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Best Male Performance (Robert Pattinson)
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Best Movie
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Global Superstar (Robert Patinson)
National Movie Awards (2010)		Best Fantasy Film
National Movie Awards (2010)		Best Performance (Robert Pattinson)
Teen Choice Awards (2010)		Choice Movie Chemistry (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson)
Teen Choice Awards (2010)		Choice Movie Liplock (Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart)
Teen Choice Awards (2010)		Choice Movie Villain (Rachelle Lefevre)

Nominated:

Golden Raspberry Awards (2009)		Worst Prequel Remake Rip-Off or Sequel
Golden Raspberry Awards (2009)		Worst Screen Couple (Kristen Stewart, Either Robert Pattinson or Taylor Whatz)
Golden Raspberry Awards (2009)		Worst Supporting Actor (Robert Pattinson)
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Best Male Performance (Taylor Lautner)
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Global Superstar (Kristen Stewart)
MTV Movie Awards (2010)		Global Superstar (Taylor Lautner)

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Commentary
• Trailers
• Bonus Trailers

I have to admit that I enjoyed this one more than the first one. Maybe it was because Edward hardly has any screentime. Only in the beginning and at the end. This movie is more about the Werewolves and I liked how they were done here.

But I have to say it is sad that these movie's main target audience gets so bad role models. A girl who gets depressed at an alarming degree just because she is left by her boyfriend.

The releases that I have of these movies are almost barebones releases. Besides trailers they only have a audio commentary. But there is one additional feature here: Playlists to only watch scenes with Edward or only scenes with Jacob

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on November 4th, 2012)

Charmed Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

8. Muse To My Ears
The sisters fiercely battle warlocks who are enslaving the world's muses to use their divine creative inspiration for evil.

My Thoughts:
A good... but standard episode. Nothing that really stood out for me in this episode.

9. A Paige From The Past
Haunted by her parents' tragic death, Paige travels back in time while Pipermust prevent the marraige of Phoebe and Cole, whose bodies are inhabited by outlaw ghosts.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode. Obviously we see Paige's past in this episode. Since they go to her teen years they try to play down her bauty... with little results. I really didn't care too much for the side story with Phoebe and Cole though. But over-all an episode I enjoyed.

10. Trial By Magic
Phoebe must convince other jury members of the existence of magic while Piper, Paige and Leo frantically search for the real killer in time to free an innocent man.

My Thoughts:
This is one that I really liked a lot. Of course that could be because I do like some court shows as well... and always enjoyed shows that dealt with a jury. I don't know why... but always liked seeing my favorite TV Show characters in that situation.

11. Lost And Bound
The sisters must teach a 10-year-old Firestarter how to use his power for good before his demon bounty-hunter foster parents find him.

My Thoughts:
Another good... but standard episode. This one did have some purpose to the series though... it was to teach Piper a lesson for when she is to have her kids... and whether or not there could be justifiable reason to bind their powers.

(From Charmed Marathon on June 29th, 2008)