There’s something about Luc Besson movies … they tend to have this “hang on for dear life” feel to them, and ‘From Paris With Love’ is no different. He also wrote and/or produced ‘Transporter 3’ and ‘Taken.’
The first 15 minutes sort of wanders along, a nice little French movie with Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing green-behind-the-ears James Reece, a man working as an assistant to a U.S. Ambassador, but playing a little spy game behind the scenes.
But then the movie suddenly kicks into high gear and it’s non-stop action until the end credits roll. John Travolta plays an American …read more

Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has signed on for ‘The Unblinking Eye,’ a psychological thriller directed and written by  Michael Bassett.
The story follows homicide detective John Callisto (Morgan), now a retired recluse after being nearly murdered by a serial killer, who’s tracked down by a relentless journalist. Dark secrets from both of their pasts come to light.
Hmmm, not a lot to go on there. I have to wonder if his character will end up dead, though, since he seems to gravitate towards “dead guy” roles. I just started watching The CW’s ‘Supernatural’ on DVD, and am wondering if …read more

‘The Tiger’s Tail’ (2006) is a movie that you’ve probably never heard of, but was released on DVD Aug. 11, 2009 and is definitely worth checking out if you like crime thrillers.
It stars Brendan Gleeson (Prof. Alastor ‘MadEye’ Moody in the ‘Harry Potter’ series) as an Irish property developer of humble origins who has become rich and powerful as a result of the “Celtic Tiger,” a.k.a. Ireland’s economic boom. He’s involved in a scheme to build a national stadium, but a rival developer is planning on thwarting his plans.
Wildly over-extended, Liam finds himself struggling in a receding …read more

I saw ‘Edge of Darkness’ this week, and found it to be a great crime-thriller. Does it matter when celebrities act like asses in real life? I’ve been pondering that question, because there’s never any shortage of celebs doing stupid things. Mel Gibson falls into that category. But I still think he’s a great actor.
Here he plays homicide detective Thomas Craven investigating the death of his daughter, whom he discovers worked for a corporation with ties to nuclear weapons. While she didn’t appear to have direct ties to any cover-ups, it’s clear that something is going down. Especially since …read more

No, it’s not a romance like the title suggests, but ‘From Paris With Love’ might be more of a bromance.
It stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador who hooks up with an American spy (John Travolta) looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city.
Here’s a clip of Travolta talking about what a trip it is making an action movie as he gets older. He and Bruce Willis should pair up.
It opens in theaters today – Feb. 5, 2010 – and is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug …read more

It’s never looked great for a “Veronica Mars” movie, and it’s still not looking good.
Creator Rob Thomas was at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, as part of Starz’s promotion for the second season of “Party Down.” He told The Futon Critic that he’d write the script if anyone would finance it.
“If anyone’s interested in making that movie I am available, Kristen’s [Bell] available. I would love to do it. I think the closest we came was Joel [Silver] pushing it at Warner Bros. and they didn’t bite. It has sort of gone away."
Thomas said he …read more

Movie: The Book of Eli * Official Site
In Theaters: Jan. 15, 2010

Runtime: 118 minutes
Directed by: The Hughes Brothers

MPAA Rating: R for some brutal violence and language
Gecko Rating:

I saw “The Book of Eli” last night with my 15-year-old son. It’s rated R and has a few scenes of gore and violence, so if you’re at all squeamish about that stuff, be forewarned.
The story takes place after some sort of apocalypse. We know that “30 winters have passed since the flash,” so it sounds like some sort of nuclear explosion. 
Denzel Washington takes center stage as a guy …read more

Summit Entertainment has some great movies coming out this year, including “The Ghost Writer,” a film about a ghost writer (natch) who’s hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister, but uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.
Even more intriguing is that the director is Roman Polanski, who’s had his own slew of troubles lately. The crime thriller is set for a Feb. 19, 2010 release date. Check out the official site for “The Ghost Writer.”
Here’s the official storyline straight from Summit: When a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of …read more

Straight from the home of James Bond comes the news that British director Sam Mendes will helm the 23rd Bond film, with Daniel Craig once again in the starring role.
That’s great news, since the Oscar winner has either directed and/or produced such films as “Revolutionary Road,” “The Kite Runner,” and “American Beauty.” It’s a given that any James Bond film will include plenty of action, but with Mendes on board, it will most likely be a thoughtful film, too.
Mendes, of course, is married to actress Kate Winslet (hmmm, could she score a starring role in the movie? …read more

It’s been more than a little annoying seeing pictures of stars on vacation in sunny locales over the holidays. Annoying because I’m here in snowy Michigan writing about them.
But at least one star stayed in the cold northern climate to continue work on her film. Angelina Jolie was seen on the set of “Salt,” where she sported a bangin’ wig and down coat. Now that I can identify with. Well, the down coat anyway.
“Salt” hits theaters July 23, 2010 and tells the story of CIA agent Evelyn Salt, who was accused of being a spy. It also stars …read more