Unthinkable

The Story: An FBI agent is taken to a top secret government location and asked to locate three nuclear bombs that have been hidden in major US cities by a known terrorist, but when the government brings in a black ops interrogation specialist, the agent is forced to find out just how far she’s willing to go to save innocent lives.

Holy moly! Unthinkable is a crazy intense movie. I could not take my eyes away from it. It is so insanely good. It takes good cop/bad cop to a whole new level.

The reason you haven’t heard of this one is because it was never released in theaters. Something about the production company going over. I won’t go into details. Google it if you must know, but you should definitely add it to your must-rent list. The film does an amazing job of maintaining suspense all the way to the end. Samuel L. Jackson and Micheal Sheen give outstanding performances. I would argue its Micheal’s best, and if you’re seen many of his other movies, that’s saying something.

I will give a small disclaimer on this one. The only negative stuff I’ve heard on this one comes from people who are put off by the torture scenes. I’ll admit they’re a little gruesome, so if you’re more tenderhearted than the rest of us, you may want to skip this one. (If you can handle Death Race or any of Rob Zombie’s movies you’re one-hundred percent in the clear.)

Unlike Zombie’s films, Unthinkable isn’t full of violence for the sake of violence. It raises some very important ethical issues about warfare and torture and freedom. That being said, I’m usually not too fond of these types of movies. A regular at the Buster calls them ‘existential’ films, because they are existential. (You can Google that one too.) Anyway, movies like that usually leave me feeling really pissed off. I’m either mad at the world for being such a crapy place or mad at myself for watching such preachy garbage. Unthinkable, on the other hand, is one of those rare treats that raises all the right questions but lets you come up with the answers for yourself.

If you liked: Nothing But The Truth, Untraceable, Rendition, The Kiling Room

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

The Story: A widower's life turns upside down when he embarks on a journey to find a dying man's long lost love. from imdb.com

It's no secret, I love Donnie Wahlberg. I've seen just about everything from Righteous Kill to the SAW movies to Boomtown (a must see TV show), Dreamcatcher and Southie. 

I snagged a copy of MHBDCS from my old boss at the Buster who now has tub loads of DVDs and was excited to add this to my Donnie collection.

Honestly, I didn't expect much from this movie. I mean, it's about ballroom dancing. Imagine my surprise when I made it past the first twenty minutes and still wanted to see more.  The story that unfolded was honest and refreshing and deeply human. By the end, I decided it's one of the best love stories I've ever seen. My mother has to watch it!

Also, this is my new favorite Donnie movie.  While I've always felt that Donnie was born to play a cop or a thug, he's totally in his element as a guy that loves the Foxtrot.  It's fabulous!!!

So, the next time you are looking for something to watch with the girls, or your mom. Please, check this one out!



If you Liked: Catch and Release, Return to Me, Shall We Dance

And for those of you who read my off topicabout the NKOTBSB concert, it was amazing!!! BEST CONCERT EVER!!

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

 The Story: Run-down Precinct 13 is about to close its door forever. But everything changes when some of Detroit's most lethal prisoners arrive. Soon, the only thing more dangerous than the criminals on the inside is the rouge gang on the outside. To survive the night, two men on opposite sides of the law will have to work together to battle an enemy who doesn't follow the code of cop or criminal (from back of dvd box)

Yes, this is a remake of a John Carpenter film. No, I haven't seen it.

Five reasons to watch this movie

5.  It's an action junkie's dream: shoot-outs, damsels in distress, explosions, chases and double crosses.

4. Good concept. I like the whole, criminals bring the fight to the cops thing. Makes it different from most cop dramas.

3. Amazing cast. John Leguizamo always gives good crack head. Flashpoint fans see if you recognize Hugh Dillon (super love him!)

2. It's a fast movie. Perfect for a small bladder and short attention span.

1. Lawrence Fishburne is a BAMF.
       He lights some dude on fire, and I like it.

If you liked: Hostage, 16 Blocks, Live Free or Die Hard, Street Kings

On DVD Today: Peep World

It's finally here, the day you've been waiting for. Peep World is now available on DVD.

If you missed our earlier recommendation for it, have no fear. You can check it out by clicking here.

The Kennedys

The Kennedys is a miniseries about the powerful and iconic family that shaped a generation. It chronicles the rise and fall or President John F. Kennedy in a way that reveals the inner workings of his family's private relationships.

We don't normally recommend TV shows, miniseries or made for TV movies, but this one is a must see. Unless you're glued to the ReelzChannel (and why would you be?), I'm guessing you missed it. Had it not popped up on my Netflix suggestions list, I would have too.

The 8-part series was originally scheduled to appear on The History Channel but was pulled for being too controversial. It's been hated on by critics for being too light on the history, but that actually made me like it more. (The light on the history part, not the hate.) I find historical movies crammed full of as many accurate facts as possible to be a bit boring, and that's coming from someone who holds a BA in history.  Besides, the Kennedy presidency is so full of conspiracy theories that the facts surrounding it are almost indistinguishable from the fiction. I found the focus on emotion and character to be a little refreshing. It almost made me sympathize with Kennedy, a President who tops my least favorite list.

I'm not sure if you can catch it in reruns on Reelz. I don't even know what channel that is, but you can find it on Netflix Instant Streaming, another plus.

Eat Pray Love Poster Winner

Our random generator has worked it's magic. Congratulations Libby! You're our winner. Favorite Julia Roberts movie: Pretty Woman, a classic.

You can expect to receive your price in the next few weeks.

Fallen

The Story: Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.

First let me warn you, this movie is not for the impatient, but if you really like a good thriller it's worth the watch.

Fallen is an excellent game of cat and mouse. The film's supernatural elements help to add tension and depth to it's characters, and they're not over the top like so many of today's movies (like Legion).

Fallen is the movie that made me fall in love with Denzel. It also gave me, my sisters and nieces the wonderful inside joke and car-ride game called "touch you make you ugly." Ten plus years later, it still holds up.



If you liked: Primal Fear, Just Cause, Fracture

Horrible Bosses

HB was released in theaters today. A and I caught the 4 o'clock showing today. It was ridiculously funny! Go see it.

Totally Wicked GASP List

What is the GASP list?

GASP list - (noun)  A list of the best movies ever made.

Last semester I was discussing time travel with a few fellow computer geeks when one of them  mentioned that she'd never seen Groundhog Day. I literally gasped. “What do you mean, you’ve never seen Groundhog Day!?”

It still bothers me. How could she have survived twenty-five years on this earth without ever witnessing one of Bill Murray’s greatest comedies? Inconceivable.

That’s what we mean we talk about the GASP list, the unofficial list of movies that every living being on this earth should see because they are so great and so deeply ingrained into popular culture that the rest of us cannot fathom the idea that other people haven’t seen them.

There is no official list, but here are two really good ones: Julie Grey’s GASP list and the Tulsa International Film Festival’s GASP list. Both lists cover the classics, and if there are movies on either list that you’ve never seen, you shouldn’t admit it.

While the more traditional GASP list is perfectly fine, it doesn’t quite do it for us. Too many of our favorites are left off, perhaps because they’re not exactly Academy Award material, so A and I put finger to keyboard and came up with our own GASP list.

We simply cannot be your friend unless you’ve seen all of these movies. ALL of them.

Adventures in Babysitting
Back to the Future
Beauty and the Beast
Big
Braveheart
The Breakfast Club
By By Love
Can’t Hardly Wait
A Christmas Story
Cinderella
Clue
Clueless
Death Race
Die Hard
Disturbing Behavior
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
Empire Records
The Faculty
The Fast and the Furious
The First Wives Club
Four Brothers
Groundhog Day
Gone in 60 Seconds
The Goonies
Halloween
Hocus Pocus
Home Alone
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Inception
Identity
The Incredibles
The Inside Man
Jaws
Kiss the Girls
A League of Their Own
The Little Mermaid
Little Rascals
The Lion King
Lone Star State of Mind
Memento
Monsters, Inc.
Mr. Brooks
My Best Friend’s Wedding
The Notebook
Now and Then
Office Space
Overnight Delivery
Point Break
Primal Fear
Remember the Titans
Role Models
Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion
The Sandlot
Saving Private Ryan
Scream
Seven
Shag: The Movie
The Shawshank Redemption
The Silence of the Lambs
Sixteen Candles
Shooter
Sleeping Beauty
Spice World
St. Elmo’s Fire
S.W.A.T
Taken
To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar
Toy Story
The Usual Suspects
Underworld
Waiting
Walk the Line
Wedding Crashers
The Wedding Planner
The Wizard of Oz
Zombieland
Zoolander

Sugar & Spice

The Story:  When high school cheerleader Diane gets knocked up and needs money to make ends meet, her squadmates step in to save the day. Using their protean cheerleading skills, the girls devise a plan to rob a grocery store. Degree of difficulty? 10. But, disguised in doll masks, the squad successfully pulls off the heist -- that is, until their "accomplishment" goes to their heads. Netflix.com

Some great movies are built on the solid foundation of a great script. Some great movies are great due to award winning casts or are the brainchildren of brilliant directors. Sugar & Spice falls into a different category: great movies based on a brilliant idea. Cheerleaders robbing a bank. Does it get any better than that?

Sure, it's no Oscar contender, but I love this movie. It's ridiculously funny and one of my favorite cheerleader movies, second only to Fired Up!

If the concept doesn't blow you away, the cast might. First off, who doesn't love James Marsden? He's hilarious, especially when he's playing a dumb jock. Marley Shelton plays pregnant head cheerleader far better than she does serious cop. After Eleventh Hour I forgot how funny she could really be. Then you've got Rachel Blanchard, Melissa George, Marla Sokoloff, and Mena Suvari to round out the squad. Basically, it's everyone who was popular in early 2000.

I need to add this to my collection because it always makes me smile.

If You Liked: Jawbreaker, Fired Up!, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Say It Isn't So

Movie Poster Giveaway: Eat Pray Love

Despite the fact that no one's taken us up on our offer of a free Skyline movie poster, we're going to try this again. Mostly because we don't really want it either. This week we're giving away the poster for Eat Pray Love. We'll mail it to anyone living within the continental United States, all you have to do is answer the following question in the comment section of this page:

What's your favorite Julia Robert's movie?

That's it. We'll select the winner randomly sometime next week and post the results here. We'll also contact the winner via Facebook.

America's Sweethearts

The Story: Movie publicist Lee Phillips wrangles a separated movie-star couple in order to promote a movie while keeping the press from discovering that the film is being held hostage by its crazy director.

I almost never like movies that are about the film industry. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because they tend to be a little self-indulgent. America’s Sweethearts, however, is a glaring exception.

We’ve been meaning to recommend this one for a while as it is both one of mine and A’s favorite romantic comedies, but I’ve had a hard time putting my finger on the exact thing that makes me love this movie. I watched it again today to see if I could uncover the mystery and it hit me. It’s a good story with likeable characters. Duh.

The movie starts out with our hero, Lee Phillips, a good guy in a world full of schmucks, as he’s just been fired from a big Hollywood studio. Lee is given the opportunity to win back his job. All he has to do is get two co-stars to attend a press junket. Easy right? Not exactly, the movie-stars just happen to be an estranged married couple with an excellent back story. They’re separated after wife, Gwen, cheated on her husband, Eddie, with a Spaniard. Eddie became so enraged with jealousy that he accidently tried to kill them. Now Gwen is shacked-up with lover boy while Eddie attempts to overcome his nervous breakdown at a new-age wellness center. To accomplish his task, Lee turns to Kiki, Gwen’s sister and over-worked assistant who also happens to be in love with Eddie.  Who doesn’t love a good love triangle?

America’s Sweethearts is fast paced for a romantic comedy and exceptionally funny. We’d expect nothing less from a film co-written by Billy Crystal. It also holds a special place in my heart for introducing me up to Hank Azaria.

Here’s the preview.

T.V. Character Smack Down: Part I

If I had to pick one animated television show that I sorely miss, it would be Celebrity Deathmatch. A classic. In the spirit of ridiculous rivalries, I offer this post as an analysis of which T.V. character would win a fist fight in the following pairings. In an attempt to maintain an even playing ground, I've chosen characters who are played by the same actors.

Round 1: Lori Grimes vs. Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies)

In the first corner we have Lori Grimes, wife of Deputy Rick Grimes, in AMC’s The Walking Dead. Lori is no wuss. She did survive a Zombie apocalypse, but she didn’t do it alone. So far, Lori seems to be the voice of reason and morality for the men in her life. We’ve yet to see her kick substantial but.

In the opposing corner, meet Dr. Sara Tancredi of Fox’s hit series Prison Break. Sara is a recovering morphine addict with a soft spot for good-looking cons. She can take a beating and, if you absolutely force her hand, she will shoot you and then feel really bad about it.

I can’t actually imagine a scenario that would put these two characters at odds with each other, but I’m sure it would involve protecting a man. Although Lori seems capable of doing anything for survival, Sara has actual combat experience. Still, Sara is a bit emotional, the idea of hurting some poor mother would be too much for her to bear, and I’m pretty sure Lori could stomach punching her in the face.

The outcome: Truce

Both characters are too prone to choosing reason over violence. After a minute of circling each other with very serious expressions, they’d most likely come up with a rational solution to their disagreement. They might even end up as friends. Sigh.

Round 2: 13 vs. Alex Kelly (Oliva Wilde)

I know what you’re thinking. Who the bleep is Alex Kelly!? You might remember her from season two of The O.C. You might not, if you were lucky enough not to get sucked into The O.C., and if so, I’m jealous. Here’s what you need to know about Alex Kelly: she’s a badass, bisexual bartender.

13 should sound a little more familiar. She’s the badass, bisexual doctor from House, also known as Dr. Remy Hadley. (That’s the character’s actual name for all of you who missed that one episode where they used it.)

Warning, this fight is going to get pretty nasty. Both characters are sure to pull some dirty punches.

The outcome: Hard to tell.

Not because they’re too evenly matched. It’s just too hard to tell them apart.

Round 3: Elle Bishop vs. Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell)

Elle, the emotionally unstable brat with the power to generate electricity, you may remember from NBC’s Heroes. This half-pint vixen might not look like much, but her power was strong enough to knock super villain Sylar on his you-know-what.

Elle’s going up against one of my all time favorite TV characters, Veronica Mars, private eye. Veronica is a snarky teen with mad Nancy Drew skills. She’s taken down rapists, murderers, and computer geeks. Her power, the ability to sniff out a scandal and bring the evil-doers to justice. Street justice that is, Mars style.

Elle vs. Veronica is almost good enough to be our main event. Not because it brings in elements of the supernatural. No, this fight would be awesome because of Kristen Bell’s god-given talent for delivering the perfect zinger. Oh the sarcasm would be epic.

The outcome: Veronica wins.

She may not be a Hero, but Veronica Mars always gets her man.

Round 4: River Tam vs. Cameron Phillips (Summer Glau)

If you're picking your prize fighter, chances are Summer Glau won't be anywhere on your list of possibilities. And for good reason, she probably doesn't even weigh in the triple digits. But bony arms aside, Summer Glau has played some of the baddest chicks ever to grace the small screen.

Exhibit A: River Tam of Firefly. In the beginning of the series River is a delicate super genius, but true fans know better than to get on her bad side. In Serenity, the Firefly movie, we see her singlehandedly destroy an entire alien army.

If that's not good enough for you, how about Cameron Phillips from the short-lived series Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Cameron is a terminator, the new and improved kind. She could snap your neck in a second.

So, who wins in a battle between a super-genius, super-soldier created in a space lab and a killer robot from the future?

The outcome: Cameron wins.

She's a robot from the future, people. Robots always win.

To Be Continued...