P-Q Movies
The Pacifier (2005)
I’ll never watch this movie again. This was so damn dumb I was embarrassed for Vin Diesel, and felt bad for Brittany Snow in her first movie role off of “American Dreams”.
I like Vin Diesel. Great actor, no. But a fun action star with attitude. I thought this movie would be cute, big tough guy in the suburban setting like it was pitched in the previews. Hardly. Even the funny parts in the previews weren’t funny.
Heavy shouted dialogue was the norm for most of the cast in this movie, and the idea was so far fetched, that made the wait for some savior of a payoff even worse.
The basic idea, is that Diesel is undercover, trying to find this missile disabling technology. Everyone is out to get him, even the “Asian Spy” neighbors. Right.
Don’t see this, anyone. I was pissed that I spent two hours of my life on it, and glad I only paid $1 to watch.
Presumed Innocent (1990)
I really like Harrison Ford, and even though I realized I had already seen this movie after watching 10 minutes of it, I enjoyed it for the second time.
Starring Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia, and Bonnie Bedelia, this movie is basically about how lust can destroy a marriage.
Ford is a prosecutor who, from the very beginning, is thrown into a murder trial of one of his fellow attorneys. But this is not just any case, but appears to be the rape of the head prosecutor for abuse and other heinous crimes. Not to mention, it is a happened to be one of Ford’s love interests for awhile.
As we get deeper and deeper into the story, all signs point that Ford is guilty. But it also seems like a setup. Dennehy is looking for a public election, and had insisted Ford take the case. But all of a sudden, is turning on him out of jealousy and Ford becomes the scapegoat, sacrificed for everyone else.
A great movie, a little slow at times, but it builds to the finale. Warning : Spolier Ahead – The movie is great for at least one reason, we find out that his wife is the killer. Smart and well thought out, jealous over Ford’s lustful fling with this woman, she murders her in hopes of taking her out of the picture, and sets it up to look like Rape. She knows from what Ford has told her of previous cases.
This came out right after “The Last Crusade” so Ford is still brilliant in this movie, and you may want to see it just for that reason. If you like thrillers that you don’t know how they will end, (but now you do), see this one. But, don’t watch it late at night, you may doze off.
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
I really enjoyed this movie. I had no expectations when Christine lent it to us, and as a matter a fact, most of the actors in this movie in particular I am indifferent to or don’t really like. I was surprised to see Russell Crowe, however, before he became a big star.
The movie revolves around a little western town that every year has a gun fighting tournament. The town is owned by Gene Hackman and he is a ruthless tyrant who over taxes his people who already live in fear that he could kill them at any time. The tournament brings the best gun fighters from all around the world, or so they would have you believe. Sharon Stone is looking for revenge, as are most against Hackman. But she in particular because Hackman killed her father and took over the town when she was just a little girl.
As I mentioned, this movie has Stone as the lone female gunslinger who enters the contest, Russell Crowe is a preacher who used to be an outlaw, and Leonardo DiCaprio is Gene Hackman’s son, one of the fastest guns in the tournament known as “The Kid”, out to win his father’s respect. Gary Sinise has a small part as Sharon Stone’s Dad.
This movie was directed by Sam Raimi, and has his over the top, exaggerated violence. There were parts of this movie that I didn’t care for when it came to gore in the shootouts. After the first few rounds the fights are to the death and get more violent. So I wouldn’t recommend this movie if you don’t at least like westerns, or if you are turned off by a little gore. But Russell Crowe has a really cool character that although is troubled, like most of his parts, isn’t so overwhelming because he is younger in this movie. Why that matters? I don’t know. Like strong female characters. Sharon Stone is great. Gene Hackman is
solid too. I don’t think that man has aged in looks since 1986. He’s scary, powerful, and believable all in one.
Phone Booth (2002)
This movie’s premise is fairly simple. Starring Colin Farrell as a New York publicist that doesn’t give a hoot about anyone, it’s a movie about the deep secrets and evils people hold in, and what truly motivates a person.
Farrell has a cell phone, but he goes everyday to this one remaining phone booth to make a call to a girl that he wants to have an affair with. While in the booth he gets a call and things quickly swirl out of hand. It seems that there is a sniper that knows a good deal about Farrell and his discretions and starts giving him orders on guard of his life.
The whole movie is very high tension, and you never know where or what is going to happen. I wasn’t personally crazy about how the movie was shot, or the director who I just loathe, Joel Schumaker. If you like Colin, this role is a little bit out of the ordinary for him, because he is extremely humbled and forced to confess his deepest secrets in front of the world. But if you like movies that are different, and can ignore the incessant language from the hookers and Farrell, this one may be right up your alley.
Paycheck (2004)
A fun, unexpected romp with an interesting premise, Paycheck is a welcome return to good movie stature for director John Woo. Ben Affleck is a corporate tool who looks donates his body in exchange for the big payoff. With the promise of one final self sustaining job he is caught in a swirling conspiracy without any memory of two years prior. A thriller that ends up being more fun in the end, a highly entertaining movie.
