Cowboys and Aliens

Amnesiac gunslinger Jake Lonergan stumbles into the town of Absolution where he not only runs afoul of the man who runs the town, Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, but also a group of invading aliens who are intent upon destroying everyone. Jake must rally together the people of Absolution in order to save them from destruction.

Strangely enough a film about cowboys and aliens featured a story line similar to the alien invasion action film Independence Day. In both, different groups of people (for this film gunslingers, criminals, Native Americans, regular folks, etc.) must learn to overcome their differences and fight together to defeat an invading extraterrestrial force whose purpose for trying to conquer earth was vague at best (in this film the aliens were mining the earth for a precious metal, who knew gold was in such demand throughout the universe). Both films also featured enough action to keep the audience mildly interested and engaged. Where Cowboys differed was in the big names that led its cast. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford should have been able to provide stellar enough performances as Jake and Woodrow (respectively) to make the film something beyond a prototypical summer popcorn flick full of sound and fury but representing nothing. Ford certainly delivered, his Dolarhyde was an atypical anti-heroic turn that showed he could play a character unlike those people are accustomed to seeing him play. Craig's Jake however was hampered by a script overwrought with explosions and missing chances for him to emotionally stretch in any direction. In the end, he was all grunts or hard looks and never became someone the audience could connect with. The rest of the cast did not add much value (although Olivia Wilde was stunning as the mysterious Ella), the story stammered and stuttered as it tried to combine multiple subplots and never hit its stride and the aforementioned ending where the different groups of people banded together to fight the aliens felt hokey and forced.

Dig a little beyond the big name stars and overwhelming action and you'll find that Cowboys and Aliens was nothing more than an average comic book to film adaptation.

Grade: C 

The Losers: It's like The A-Team lite

After their handler Max sets them up and tries to kill them a group of CIA operatives go into hiding in order to plot their revenge. Their chance to settle the score arrives with the appearance of a mysterious woman who offers them the opportunity to capture the elusive Max. But can they trust her?

The Losers did not carry the darker tone of some of its comic book adaptation brethren. The characters were not gloomy, brooding types that dressed up like winged creatures or awkward teenagers that were bitten by radioactive spiders. They were a group of regular people, albeit regular people who happened to be highly trained CIA operatives. In this way, the film felt less like a comic book film and more like an ordinary action thriller. Between comedic quips about how their boss Clay always fell for women that were “volatile” and the usual cool swagger that one would expect to see from a group of CIA guys with nifty codenames such as Roque, Cougar, and Pooch, there were a myriad of stylized action sequences which capitalized on their comic book source material be more outlandish than run of the mill and keep action junkies satisfied (for an example of this, see the ending showdown between Clay, a motorcycle and a plane). Chris Evans shined in his role as Jensen, providing the bulk of the laughs with well-timed smart ass remarks, Zoe Saldana sizzled as Aisha and Jason Patric almost stole the show as Max, channeling all of the best bits of all those old time James Bond villains with just a tinge of Dr. Evil kookiness.

It is certainly not going to evoke comparisons to The Dark Knight or other heavier comic book films but The Losers does its part by keeping you entertained for about an hour and a half.


Grade: C

The Bourne Identity: The spy thriller reborn.

Back before Daniel Craig donned the tux and became 007, the cinema world was suffering through Pierce Brosnan's smug take on the role. Not only that, but the Bond movies back then were loaded down with "death rays" and cliched villians and seemed almost laughable. Enter Matt Damon and The Bourne series, whose realism and emotional depth made the spy genre matter again. So much so that if you look at a Bond film now you can see the Bourne influences.

A man is pulled from the sea with two bullet holes in his back and a case of amnesia. He comes to discover that his name is Jason Bourne and he has a violent past. With the help of a woman named Marie he hopes to uncover the truth behind his extraordinary abilities, and the reasons the U.S. government is so anxious to hunt him down.

Most spy thriller films tend to focus on action, be it hand to hand combat or exotic weaponry that the hero or villain employ. While The Bourne Identity contained a number of fierce fight sequences and an insane car chase, the main focus was on the story of Jason Bourne and his attempts to discover who he was. Bourne was not some suave secret agent that slurped martinis while spouting cheesy one-liners after he offed a bad guy. He was an intelligent, resourceful man looking to regain control of his life. To go along with having an uncommon spy as the hero the film also boasted a touching love story between Jason and Marie. Whereas in other spy thriller genre films in which the hero simply beds the lead actress because she was there, the romance between Jason and Marie did not feel forced. They came to care for one another and shared a terrific chemistry. The film had a heart to go along with the great action and intriguing story and was a distinctive entry in the spy thriller genre.

Grade: A

Casino Royale: The reboot they got right!

Hollywood reboots, they are a growing scourge these days with studios seemingly unwilling to take a chance on an original story. But sometimes, reboots work, and can breathe new life into a film franchise that had become a shell of its former self.

British secret agent James Bond has just been given his license to kill and for his first assignment, he must face a mysterious villain named Le Chiffre in a high stakes game of poker. If he looses not only would the money help finance terrorists, but he could wind up dead as well.

Truth be told the James Bond franchise had been dying over the past couple of films. On the watch of former Bond Pierce Brosnan the films were wrought with lousy stories, an over-reliance on gadgets or ludicrous villains and Brosnan’s oh so smug turn as the British super spy. With Casino Royale, a new era in the 007 franchise was born, one that concentrated less on jet packs, stealth boats and vacuous quips everytime Bond did something cool and gave the audience the type of action they have come to expect from the series along with a richly developed story and fully realized characters. Speaking of which, Daniel Craig, though initially ridiculed as the choice for the new 007, just might be the best Bond since Sean Connery perfected the iconic character. His Bond was a brute when he had to be, unafraid of getting his hands dirty when it was necessary and yet human and vulnerable enough to worry about how his life as a trained killer might affect his soul. That vulnerability extended to the female agent along on his mission, Vesper. Their interplay and dialogue was among the best in the film, making the fate that befell her all the more bittersweet. I have not even gotten into the stylish black and white shot opening, the breathtaking high wire confrontation Bond had in the beginning or the collapsing building on the Italian Riviera at the climax but the action more than matched the marvelous story and made Casino Royale a film you do not want to miss.

Grade: A