The International (2009)

The International could have been a great movie, but it ends up only being a good movie.

The story revolves around two people, New York District Attorney Eleanor Whitman played by Naiomi Watts and Louis Salenger from Interpol played by Clive Owen. These two people have been actively investigating a large International Bank for years, believing it be involved with organized crime.

Things with the bank seem to have escalated as the investigation has unearthed plans for the bank to purchase missiles.

Director Tom Tykwer does a nice job with the visuals of the film, often pitting Owen against the large, omnipresent buildings that represent the seemingly immovable force that is the International Bank. There are action sequences in the film that are very well done. And the cast is extraordinarily talented.

So, what keeps this good film from being great? Two things which are tied together. I'm not sure which is at the root cause of the issue, or whether they are equally at fault, but the two main issues are the acting of Naiomi Watts and her character/her lines in the script. Not only is her character two dimensional and her lines stiff, but the Aussie actress can't quite pull of the Americanized lines in a believable manner.

The International has a 1970s nihilistic feel to it, that the machine is greater than the man, that the war against large forces are too hefty for one person to overcome.

The International is a good movie, bordering on very good, but it just can't quite make it to great.

Come What May (2009)

A couple of people in Virginia came up with an idea of training Christian home-schoolers in the ways of film making in order to take back the entertainment industry for Jesus. They formed a company called the Advent Film Group and put together their first project, a pro-life film called Come What May.

The behind-the-scenes story is very inspirational. Feeling the push of divine influence, they approached a small Christian college called Patrick Henry College and proposed using their moot court setting (where students debate issues in a court setting with retired judges) in preparation for debating moral issues in the real world and suggested writing a story about two college students assigned to argue to overthrow Roe v. Wade.

They formulated a budget and were astounded that the financial needs of the film were funded within a few weeks. Not one investor that they approached said No. Not one! That's an amazing thing!

The film itself follows a young man named Caleb who joins the college and is assigned to work with the beautiful and chaste Rachel. They are tasked with coming up with arguments to overturn the legal event in the Supreme Court which allowed abortion to become legal in this country. A nearly impossible argument to win now-a-days.

Caleb's home life is struggling as his parents are on opposite ends of the abortion debate. The father is about to publish a book on the science behind the pro-life movement and the mother is a lawyer defending a Supreme Court case that hopes to continue to allow children to obtain abortions without parental consent.

Over the course of their studies, Caleb and Rachel draw closer to each other, but her high standards of relationships and her own self-respect cause Caleb to reconsider his own approach to intimacy.

The film's success is hit and miss. It suffers from the consequence of low-budget scars. Acting his inconsistent. Lighting and audio vary in quality. And the story, for the most part, is very good. Out of the 90 or so minutes of the film, there is an excellent 60 minutes worth of material in there. The other 30 minutes are not bad, but not nearly as strong and concise as the rest of the story.

The lead actors (Austin Kearney as Caleb and Victoria Emmons as Rachel) are very good for the most part. There are a few times where they dip below the believability scale... in the smaller moments, in the throw away lines, that take you out of the film for a moment, but they have screen presence and a certain charm.

Come What May is enjoyable to see a film with strong pro-life standards, with college relationships based on faith and chastity and with real questions being asked about such a sensitive subject which are handled with respect and include numerous opportunities to discuss both sides of the issue. In many ways, it's as fair and balanced as a pro-life movie can get.

Finally, Come What May was extremely fortunate to have garnered massive amount of support from pro-life and pro-family organizations. Not since Sherwood Pictures (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof) have a I seen such an strong grassroots effort to get a film seen. I think if the acting would have been better and the production value higher, this film would have been as big as any of the Sherwood Pictures flicks.

I think this is a film people see because they believe in the message and want to support the filmmakers for exploring it, but I think the film could have been much, much more financially successful.

I applaud Advent Film Group for the intent and dedication to training the next generation of filmmakers that will be steeped in Christian values and traditions. I can't wait to see their next film.

Bringing Up Bobby (2009)

Christian filmmakers Glowing Nose is run by twin brothers Nick and Chris Staron. Their first feature film, Between the Walls, dealt with a difficult personal histories of a largely dysfunctional family.

They've followed up that darker subject with the lighthearted comedy called Bringing Up Bobby. The story revolves around a Bobby (Alex Hinsky), who is challenged by his older brother James (Mark Thompson) to figure out who he is and where he stands with God.

And that's where the mayhem begins! The entire family ends up coming back together at their childhood home to haggle over the will of their long-dead parents... it took 12 years to get an official cause-of-death.

In the meantime, Bobby meets Liz, the girl of his dreams, who wants him to demonstrate his affection. His attempts and numerous failures lead to many laughs.

Kudos do to Hinsky as Bobby and Brian Morvant as the milk drinking loner Dennis potentially on the run from Russian anarchists. Morvant, especially, was funny every moment he was up on screen.

Brian Morvant as Dennis

The Staron brothers do a wonderful job of tackling Christian topics within a comedic environment. It makes for a funny Christian family film.

One of the things I appreciated more than anything is that not all of their story lines are wrapped up into some nicely packaged happy endings. Humanity is sloppy and even God leaves situations with challenges so that we can continue to live our faith.

Hinksey as Bobby and Thompson as James

After espousing various ways we can save the Christian film industry over at our Sonlight Pictures blog, I put my money where my faith was and purchased this DVD. Hats off to the Staron brothers for putting it in the mail almost immediatley after my purchase. I was pleasantly surprised to find it in my mailbox two days later.

It's little things like that, simple ways of providing quality customer service, that goes a very long way to developing customer loyalty.

I look forward to the next effort from Glowing Nose.

Club God Wins Bronze Lighthouse Award at the Faith Film Festival

We're very excited to announce that our short film Club God won the Bronze Lighthouse Award at the Faith Film Festival!

It is such a wonderful blessing to have our first project garner such an acknowledgment from the Christian film community. We could not have done it without the support of many, including the prayers from our Sonlight Pictures Angels community!

God is good!

Star Trek (2009)

J. J. Abrams is a humble genius. The creator of televisions Alias and Lost hopped into feature filmdom with his directorial debut on Mission Impossible: III, which is by far the best film in that series.

He followed up his MI:III success with the impossible task of rebooting the Star Trek franchise, a franchise which is embedded in the very social fabric of the world.

Such an effort would seem much like the kobayashi maru test (a no-win scenario).

But the fearless Abrams takes a stagnate franchise and re-energizes it with a top-notch sci-fi film.

First, the cast is perfect, top to bottom. Chris Pine, as Kirk, captures the charm and confidence of the Captain, Zachary Quinto, as Spock, relays a more subtle, human performance than his predecessor and Karl Urban embodies McCoy flawlessly. The other characters are filled out with excellent performances by John Cho as Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Checkov, Simon Pegg as Scotty and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Completing the cast is the always-nobel Bruce Greenwood as Pike and Eric Bana as the Romulan threat called Nero.

However, the real credit to the success of this film should go to the Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. This duo combined with Abrams on MI:III (which is one of the best executed action screenplays I've seen) and, with Star Trek, uses a simple, yet effective plot device to shatter any preconceived ties back to the original series and subsequent movies, allowing the franchise to truly start over.

Absolutely brilliant.

For Trek fans, there are enough subtle inside homages to please them while the stories focus on friendship, family and sacrifice makes it truly universal and easily palatible for new visitors to the Star Trek universe.

When the film ended I simply wanted the next film in the series to begin. It's a smart, funny and enjoyable jaunt at the movies.

Bring the popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show!

The Second Chance (2006)

The Second Chance follows the spiritual journeys of two pastors, Ethan Jenkins (Michael W. Smith) and Jake Sanders (Jeff Obafemi Carr) who are from opposite ends of the social and political spectrum. These two pastors find themselves learning about true acts of Christianity while growing to understand their own flaws as Christian leaders.

The story encompasses the relationship between sister churches... one in the affluent suburbs and the other in the inner-city. We follow Pastor Jenkins from the affluent suburban who initially directs his Christianity via his checkbook instead of his heart.

As he spends a number of weeks in the depths of the challenges at the inner-city church with Pastor Sanders, Jenkins comes to learn that a hands off approach to Christianity doesn't work in the rougher parts of town. You have to get involved with the people on a personal level, to make a commitment to them and to helping them overcome their problems.

Michael W. Smith, known for his numerous Christian singles, makes his acting debut in this film. Overall, his performance is good, but there were a few moments where his presence was lacking a bit.

Carr, however, as the fiery and unapologetic inner-city Pastor Sanders, is a solid performer as his character struggles between indignant self-righteousness and trying to love one's enemies. These polar opposites, both in personalities and in obvious visual differences, makes for an enjoyable, albeit, harmless film experience.

The Second Chance is pleasantly un-preachy and is a nice Christian film that neither covers new ground nor seems stale. It would fit into a movie-of-the-week style category. It has a few thoughtful and touching moments, but is lacking a freshness of story.

A good quality Christian flick.

Saving God (2008)

I remember a theater director once telling me that 80% of directing is casting the right people. Saving God, starring Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott and Dwain Murphy is a film that validates my theater directors assessment.

Produced by Cloud Ten Pictures, which created the Left Behind trilogy, Saving God has the tough and powerful Rhames portray the equally intimidating convict-turned-pastor, Armstrong Cane. Cane, fresh out of prison, returns to his local, run-down church, determined to reach out to the inner city he once loved as a child.

As Cane makes his presence quickly known to the local hoods, including drug dealer Blaze, played with surprising creepiness by McDermott, people start to show renewed interest in the success of the small church.

The bulk of the story takes the macrocosm of life on the streets and boils it down to the touching story of Norris Johnson, played by the charming Murphy, who finds faith and renewed self esteem, leading him to try and change his life and move out from under the dangerous and watchful eye of the evil Blaze. The relationship between Johnson and Cane is wonderful and keeps you actively involved in the story.

But it's the performance of Rhames that keeps your eyes locked to the screen. His massive stature, short-fused temper and commitment to Jesus Christ is a great combination of contradictions. You really don't know what he might do next when push comes to shove. Will he revert to his youthful rage or rely on the soothing source of the Word of God?

The production value of this film is top notch and the performances are stellar. This film would easily be broadcast on television stations across the country if it weren't for the blatant acceptance of Jesus Christ as a requirement for salvation.

Saving God is making the festival rounds now and we can only hope it will garner enough positive feedback to get it distributed as widely as possible.

A Midnight Clear (2006)

One Christmas Eve we find that random acts of kindness can change everything... one person at a time. That's the basic premise of A Midnight Clear, a very good Christian film that leaves the preaching for the pulpit and leaves the dense storyline to the cinema.

The film follows the lives of many people who intertwine throughout the night. There's Lefty, played by Stephen Baldwin, who's just lost his job and is on the verge of losing his family. There's Eva, played by K Callan, who struggles with loneliness and a fragile existence and ponders about taking her own life. And Kirk, played by Kirk B.R. Woller, who runs his own gas station on the outskirts of town. And, finally, Mary, the wife of a brain damaged husband recovering from a car accident a year earlier who, on Christmas Eve, finds herself stuck at the gas station with her car broken down and her nerves near the breaking point.

Each of these people are broken, lonely and feel as if they are helpless to overcome their current situations. Over the course of the story we find their simple acts of kindness toward each other propel them forward toward self realization, responsibility and healing.

The story is quite strong and the performances rock solid. The film was originally a 20 minute short that was extended and re-shot into this touching feature film. Fortunately, this is not one of those low-budget Christian flicks that bashes you over the head with Bible verses and dire warnings. This is a human drama of faith filled people struggling within themselves. Writer Wes Halua and director Dallas Jenkins weave a fine and moving tale. The production quality lives up to Hollywood standards and film will stay with you after its over.

One fine flick.

Fireproof (2008)

The leaders of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia continue to lead the way for independent Christian films. Starting small with the wonderful, yet ultra-low budget flick called Flywheel and then following that up with the popular Facing the Giants, Alex and Stephen Kendrick have made another sweet, effective movie in Fireproof.

The Sherwood formula is this... pray, write, get volunteers and do the best you can with what the Lord has provided you. Every film for them is a testament to their faith.

In Fireproof, Kirk Cameron volunteered his efforts as the lead character, fire chief Caleb Holt, who finds himself in a disintegrating marriage with his wife, Catherine, played by Erin Bethea. With prayers and support from his father, Caleb engages in the 40 day Love Dare to try to repair his damaged relationship and save his marriage.

The pros and cons of Fireproof are the same as all of the other Sherwood Baptist efforts. The message is wonderful, the production earnest and the effect, overwhelmingly positive in spite of inconsistent acting performances.

The most frustrating aspect of watching new talent on screen is the inconsistency of their performances. Like in The Genius Club, the new actors can hit an emotional moment one scene and not hit a similar pinnacle the next. Unfortunately, each one of these misses pulls you from the total impact the film could have on you.

Thankfully, Cameron is able to nail his performance as Holt. This is the first Sherwood Pictures film that writer/director Alex Kendrick has not also donned the role of lead actor. Kendrick, who is so wonderfully sincere in his performances in Flywheel and Facing the Giants, stays behind the camera and gives the lead reigns to the capable Cameron.

The challenge going forward for Sherwood is that, with each success, the expectations rise. I think it would be wise for them to look to pay for quality actors in lead roles in the future as this would greatly improve the overall delivery of their divine messages.

But, who am I to criticize? Sherwood Pictures has proven nothing is impossible with the Lord. Their $25,000 Flywheel, intended to be a film for church members only, has become a critical and financial success. Facing the Giants, made for $100,000 has already taken in over $10 million and Fireproof, costing $500,000 has almost $35 million in box office revenue.

Their formula works.

My personal preference is that they would remake Flywheel. The script is magical and, with a little bit of funding, could be their best, most complete film yet. The current low-budget version works in spite of serious production issues that come with such a small budget. I'd love to see $500,000 thrown at that script.

In any event, if you liked Sherwood Pictures previous efforts, you'll get more of the same with Fireproof. And that's a good thing!

These guys have tapped into something special and uniquely their own. The ripple effect of their work with audiences and fellow filmmakers will be felt for decades to come.

Very Funny Christian Mockumentary

Over at Christianity Today I came across an article about an upcoming release of a mockumentary called Jesus People. It's made by evangelical Christians working in Hollywood making fun of themselves. You'll recognize a lot of the people. The story is about four people who start a kids dance Christian band. A Christian Spinal Tap so to speak.

The project first started out as a web series and apparently will be turned into a feature film. The web series is so very funny.

Please check it out. It's funny, funny stuff.

Below is Episode 1.

Five Years Ago... The Box Premieres

Five years ago this week we held the premiere of our DV feature The Box at the Clearwater Cinema Cafe. The place was packed and my nerves were frayed. From shooting to editing and re-editing I had seen the end product over 100 times... but this was the first time so many people, important people in my life, were going to partake of our little cinematic experiment.

I could scarcely watch.

It was a big event for me. I had finally completed a feature film... something I had set as a goal a decade earlier. The film definitely has the scars of being an ultra low-budget flick, but it was competent and entertaining, within its own limitations. It got very positive reviews, festival play and allowed me to feel like I was finally achieving dreams I had imagined as a child.

It took a lot of people to make The Box a reality. First, I was very fortunate to have Kyme help out as Producer and single-handedly will the project to completion. She had more contacts in more places than anyone I've ever known. She was indispensable.

One of the best parts of the experience was getting to work with a the very talented cast. Samantha Grahn (Lou), John Hill (JJ), Mike Rembis (Steve) and Dan Doyle (Dante). Plus, I got to work with Brian Shea and John Snell for the first time, both of whom ended up in Club God.

I also believe it was this film that sparked the acting bug in my daughter, who has since starred in Purgatory, USA and is attending a performing arts high school. She will be far more talented than I could ever conceive being. She is a natural. I am so proud of her work.

The premiere was also the event that started the Tompkin brothers quoting lines from the film back to me every time I see them. Over and over and over again. Even to this day they greet me with the line "every drop." Funny how something conjured up in my head over a year before the premiere would make such an impact and last to this day.

I can hardly believe five years has passed already. Part of me thinks that I should have accomplished more by now and the other part of me is amazed we've been able to create Sonlight Pictures and complete Club God and Purgatory, USA within the first year of existence.

The premiere night of The Box was a special night for so many professional and personal reasons. The best of which is that I got to spend that night with my family... brothers, sisters, wife, children and my parents. There is nothing more important to me than my family.

So many things have changed since then. All for the better.

I can't imagine what the next five years will bring.

Overcome (2007)

Part of the role as owner of Sonlight Pictures is to watch the competition and gauge the current state of production in Christian films. This means I watch a LOT of Christian movies... as many as I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, most of the films have been lacking in some key areas. Even though I look forward to watching Christian films, it is often prefaced with a tangible sense of apprehension.

My daughter, who considers herself the unofficial co-owner of Sonlight Pictures, watches these films with me. When I told her we were going to watch a film called Overcome about Christian teenagers, her initial, unsolicited response was a worried groan.

Having watched so many bad films with her, I knew where she was coming from. However, it's part of the job.

As with any film, the first 10 minutes are critical and at 30 minutes, something interesting should propel me into watching the rest of the story. With this in mind, we give each film at least 1/2 hour before we decide whether or not we will continue.

So, we plopped in a film called Overcome which is directed by B. J. Alexander and created by a production company called WisenQuest. The story based loosely on the conversion of Paul.

In Overcome, Aaron U. Brown plays the rebellious Colton... one of the popular, yet mean kids at the local high school. He often crosses paths with an up and coming school tennis star named Sara, played by Jaycee Lynn. After a near tragic car accident, Colton is left re-evaluating his life and begins an uphill battle for forgiveness and redemption.

The film is well done. The acting from the leads is very solid, especially Jaycee Lynn. Some of the secondary characters are weak, but not enough to distract from the overall charm of the film.

The film crew had access to a lot of great locations, including a high school, a hospital, tennis courts, ambulances and numerous other locations. This really added to the realism and scope of the project.

As far as Christian films go, this is definitely a notch above. Overcome is worthy checking out.

I look forward to future films by these talented filmmakers.

The Genius Club (2006)

Seven geniuses must solve the world's problems in one night or Washington, DC goes up in a nuclear plume.

That's a great premise and is the basis for the film The Genius Club. The execution of that premise, however, does not reach the potential of the idea.

One thing I've noticed lately, especially in low-budget flicks, is that if you're going to shoot police procedures, you'd better get it right. With such great shows like Law & Order and NCIS and various other movies, efficient and believable police procedural processes have been drilled into out collective consciousness over the years.

There are a couple of times where The Genius Club ran into believability issues on how the police and/or secret service handled the task at hand. Sometimes it wasn't the writing, but the acting or the budget limitations that undermined the action. Either way, it showed me just how important accurate and believable police work is in a film, especially since it's become second nature to all of us.

The cast includes a lot of talented actors (Stephen Baldwin, Jack Scalia, Tom Sizemore and Tricia Helfer) who did quite well with their roles, especially Helfer. Helfer, better known as the main, sexy cylon on Battlestar Galactica, is exceptional as a genius dying from cancer. Her performance is real and heartfelt.

The lesser known performers in the story, however, are hit and miss, often missing at critical emotional times.

The biggest issue with The Genius Club is that the answers given to the questions are not very enlightening. I could have come up with most of them and, as my family can attest, I am no genius! With such a premise, I really expected to be blown away.

The film, distributed by Cloud Ten Pictures (which made the Left Behind films), is being marketed as a Christian film, but in reality it barely touches on the existence of God or Jesus. It does some very nice work on the value of forgiveness, but this film is barely a true Christian film... at least in my interpretation of what a Christian film should be (and I'll be the first to admit that it is a completely subjective interpretation).

Finally, I didn't feel that the production value matched its budget. It was obviously shot on video, which isn't the issue, but the lighting was dark and muddy. The audio, at times, was distorted, especially when characters were yelling. So, there were some basic production issues that I think would not normally arise on a film with a reported two million dollar budget.

The film kept my attention and, in many ways, worked. But for the Christian film fan, you may not find this Christian enough. And for the secular film fan, there may be too many production issues to keep you from enjoying the film.

Family Movie Night

About once a month we try to settle into the movie room for a night and enjoy a film that is intended for the whole family.

Last night we took in the feature remake of the Get Smart series. I remember watching Get Smart on re-runs as a kid. It was funny in a silly 60's sort of way, as a spoof on the James Bond/I Spy type stories. The original actors, starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, have been replaced by Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway.

The movie, also starring Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin, does a good job of updating a 60's series while still maintaining its overt silliness. The story, though completely unbelievable, is still entertaining with the goofy world of the film.

Carrell and Hathaway are really wonderful as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99, respectively. They have a believable chemistry that brings much needed heart to a purposeful piece of fluff.

The family and I laughed throughout and had a wonderful time.


It's rare that you can find a movie that is both entertaining for the children as well as adults. When you find one, like Get Smart, you appreciate not only the film, but the time you get with your family that watching the film has provided.

Purgatory, USA - Opening

Here's a sneak peak of the 30 second opening of Purgatory, USA. Those who signed up as a Sonlight Picture Angel got a sneak peek of this a few weeks ago. Click on the link below...

Click on Pic for Opening

Happy viewing.

Purgatory, USA: 4 + 8 = 12

It appears the Lord wants us to make 12 episodes of Purgatory, USA. We have eight more to go. You can read more over at Sonlight Pictures Blog.

That means I have a lot of writing to do. Time to get started.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Michael Clayton doesn't have a lot of explosions or gun play or alien invaders. What it has is an excellent script and an impressive performance by George Clooney as the lead character.

And it's just a really good movie.

Clayton is a "fixer" in a law firm, a lawyer who fixes problems of important clients by whatever semi-legal means necessary. The wear and tear of fixing other people's problems for 15 years is finally catching up to him. He's feeling trapped, lost, and helpless. What was once an intriguing role as "fixer" he now dubs as a "janitor." He no longer really practices law and he's overcome a gambling addiction only to lose all of his money in a restaurant venture he undertook with his sporadic and previously drug-addicted brother. And the money he used to help get the restaurant off the ground was from dubious sources who are now itching for payment.

All of this pressure has built up within him, trapped in a world where neither his professional nor personal life offers any release.

And it's at this precarious moment that he gets his next assignment... to coddle a lead litigator (Tom Wilkinson) who's apparently flipped his lid. This litigator's apparent mental meltdown has put into serious jeopardy a decade long and massive lawsuit protecting a chemical company from paying people to which they may have caused cancer.

Throw in there an ambitious new attorney (Tilda Swinton) hired by the chemical company that will do anything to protect them and things get dicey in a hurry.

How can Clayton, who's barely holding his own life together, bring a brilliant, but unstable litigator under control before the law firm's greatest client, the chemical company, walks away in embarrassment?

That struggle and that pressure are evident on Clooney's face throughout the film. You never know if the very next second on the screen will result in Clayton finally being pushed over the edge. It's a great performance.

The film is directed by Tony Gilroy, who earned his chance behind the camera by penning such hits as the Bourne trilogy, and manages his directing effort with great ease. In his hands, Michael Clayton is successful as a legal movie, a thriller, a drama and a suspense film.

The film is not earth shattering or trend setting, it is simply a really good old-fashioned movie telling an intriguing story with a career best performance by Clooney.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

This long Memorial Day weekend the family and I took a couple of hours to feast our eyes upon the fourth Indiana Jones installment. And, after a couple of days to digest the latest Spielberg/Lucas offering about oblong Crystal Skulls, I've boiled the film down to one word... silly.

The film is really just plain silly.

Not intriguing. Not trend setting. Not record breaking. Not excellent. Just silly.

I don't want to get too much into the plot, because it will give too much away, but... really? That's the best you could come up with in twenty years? Really? Just how hard did you try?

Rumor has it that Frank Darabont, the excellent writer who penned and directed The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, as well as wrote various TV episodes of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, also came up with the first real script for Indy IV. Spielberg apparently loved it, but Lucas did not.

So, Lucas and David Koepp put their brains together and came up with a story that really offers nothing original, unless of course you believe that taking story ideas from a whole bunch of previous movies (Apocalypto, National Treasure 2, Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and mashing them into a new movie constitutes being "original."

What they came up with is... well, silly.

However, even the weakest of story ideas, bolstered by the immense talent of Spielberg and the star power of Harrison Ford, suddenly become enjoyable and alive. Add the acting and screen chops of Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf and the film becomes a nice cinematic ride.

Blanchett's character, however, offers her few opportunities to shine. Now that I think about it, she's supposed to be some sort of Ruskie mega-psychic, but I can't really remember her being successful at ever using those abilities.

Odd choice.

And only LaBeouf's character, Mutt, brings any real emotion to the film. All of the other characters simply move through the set dressings, seemingly unaffected by the amazing events that have transpired around them.

There were some other things that still bother me a bit as well. I don't know if it was due to the quality of the film print I saw or not, but the special effects looked really cheesy. I never once thought anyone was in real danger, especially during an extended car chase scene, because the effects were so obvious... odd for a Spielberg/Lucas collaboration.

And the demise of the baddies was all too familiar. The lead baddie and the lead henchman all meet their maker in events that could have been taken directly from Raiders... granted, the actual demise is different, but the the structure, the way it all unfolds made me feel like I had been here before. And that was because I had... in a far superior movie.

So, in spite of its vastly weak storyline and razor thin character development, the film is still a lot of fun simply because Spielberg, Ford and LaBeouf make it so.


So, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a fun movie, but you may find that the National Treasure films do a better job in the genre right now.

Spielberg and Lucas have left the door open for LaBeouf to take over the Indy reigns and that would be very, very cool. He's a great young actor and could bring new life into a growing, familiar genre.

Otherwise, you can wait for the next National Treasure release to get your next historical fantasy fix.

Iron Man (2008)

Only one actor on the planet could pull off the lead character of Tony Stark in the film Iron Man and that man is Robert Downey, Jr. Who else could effectively play a billionaire playboy, womanizer, wunderkind, computer and mechanical genius, arms dealer with a soft heart surrounded by a thick skin of self indulgence who turns into a superhero?

Seriously. Name one other person.

To say Downey, Jr. is perfectly cast is an understatement.

The story for Iron Man is very well told, both smart and funny. It utilizes the refreshing Stark character to play against the awe-shucks superhero type and give us a flawed man we both want to be and could see ourselves being, yet know we'll never get there. We identify with this imperfect man who turns his gifts that have benefited his wallet and into something that benefits everyone.

He goes from selfish to selfless. From conceited to a man with a conscious.

Actor and director Jon Favreau from Rudy, Swingers and Elf fame, puts on his directing cap and guides us skillfully across the world and into near-fantasy as man and machine become one in the form of Iron Man.

A fun, smart and memorable superhero action flick. Bring the popcorn, bring the wit and enjoy the ride.

Cloverfield (2008)

A long time ago... about ten years ago, I made a short film called Raw Footage. My directorial choice was to have the audience watch the film unfold as if they were watching the raw footage of a tape found at a crime scene. Where my story revolved around the murder and eventual killing of a news crew, Cloverfield revolves around the raw footage of a going-away party in NYC that ends up capturing the attack of something massive and mean.

Viewing Cloverfield on my fairly large movie screen in my house was hard to endure, at times, because the hand-held camera shaking was almost unbearable. Sure, the director had to show the kids running from the menace and that wouldn't entail smooth camera shots, but a little less verocity to the camera shake would have been nice. Normally, I wouldn't mention such a thing as directorial choice, but in this case it actually got in the way of me enjoying the story he was trying to tell.

The story itself is about a surprise going-away party for Jason Hawkins (Mike Vogel). The camera is manned by his brother Rob (Michael Stahl-David) and his best friend Hud (T.J. Miller) as they collect goodbye messages from the awaiting guests. Soon after Jason arrives and some personal drama unfolds between him and his girlfriend, who abruptly leaves, the party continues until the apartment shakes violently. The party goers rush onto the roof of the Manhattan building to see what is happening and find, in the distance, something destroying the city.

Jason receives a call from his trapped and injured girlfriend in her apartment across town. Unwilling to leave her behind, Jason, along with his brother and friends, head off to rescue her even though she lives directly in the vicinity of the creature killing everyone.

The story moves very quickly and the acting from a cast of relative unknowns works well enough. Despite the camera shaking, which lessens the impact of the film, the end result is an entertaining movie. If you're prone to motion sickness, car sickness or vertigo, I'd watch this film on a regular-sized television... or have a bag handy, just in case.

On a side note, the cool thing is that the camera I own, the Panasonic HVX200, was used to shoot many shots in this film.