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 spy with the fun name of Charlie Wax who’s looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city. Well, we don’t know it’s a terrorist attack until later. At first, it appears that he’s after some drug runners, and Reece spends part of the movie carrying a vase full of cocaine around, chasing after Wax, who’s leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

I mean, seriously, Travolta is great when he can just let loose and go full-out reckless, and that’s what he does here. He just Does.Not. care who gets in his way, and has no problem shooting first and talking later. Ok, there’s no talking. Plus, he has a knack for knowing just who those guys (or girls) are right away. No piddling around.

More after the jump…

I was worried at first. My son and his buddy and I got to the theater, and ‘From Paris With Love’ was playing in the very last theater in the complex, the smallest one, and there were about three other people watching with us. Meanwhile, down the hall are two theaters packed full of people seeing ‘The Wolfman’ (we’ll probably see it tomorrow).

But ‘From Paris With Love’ was much better than I expected (given that ominous ‘no one’s watching this’ thing), and if you like Travolta or Rhys Meyers – or really, high action crime movies with a French twist – I highly recommend it. It’s just good fun. And there’s some awesome artillery.

Like I said, though, the body count is high, and it’s rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, drug content, pervasive language and brief sexuality. In short, not for kids.

Image: Lionsgate

Post from: Film Gecko

Film Gecko’s blogging platform won’t let me embed the video (wah!), so I’m going to send you over to Moviefone to watch it, because it’s quite romantic and fun.

In case you need more incentive, it’s got Hepburn and Tracy, Pattinson and Stewart, Ford and Fisher, Roberts and Grant, Streep and Eastwood, Keaton and Allen, Bogart and Bergman, and oh, plenty more.

Regular Film Gecko readers know I’m all about the romantic movies, so it’s definitely worth three and a half minutes of your time.

Really, it’ll give you hope that love truly exists in our crazy world — both in the movies and real life.

Image: Warner Bros.

Post from: Film Gecko

The story follows several intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles as they make up and break up around the mystery that is Valentine’s Day. It’s rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity, and opens in theaters this Friday, Feb. 12, 2010. Here’s a little clip of a few of them on the red carpet.

Post from: Film Gecko

Let’s talk about the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD. This has a bunch of bonus features: 

• Trailers: Night At The Museum 2, The Marine 2, Family Guy Presents: Something Something Something Dark Side, X Men Trilogy Blu-ray Trailer, and Sons Of Anarchy Season 1
• Commentary by Director Gavin Hood
• Commentary by Producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter
• The Roots of Wolverine: A Conversation with Stan Lee and Len Wein
• Wolverine Unleashed: The Complete Origins
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes
• Anti Smoking PSA

Disc 2: Digital Copy

When I saw this movie in theaters, people were actually getting up and walking out, but I didn’t think it was that bad. Not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but still not that bad.

More after the jump…

The movie takes us back to the childhood of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). We know him from the first three “X-Men” movies, but he had a wild and interesting life before he showed up in those. Even as young Jimmy Logan in 1845, he had those spiky hands, only the spikes were crude, bony-looking things then, emerging whenever Jimmy got angry. His heritage included some daddy issues, and a half-brother named Victor Creed a.k.a. Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), complete with fangs and all.

A series of quick scenes shows the non-aging brothers fighting through several wars, including the Civil War, World War Two, and Viet Nam. We also learn that the evil Stryker (Danny Huston) is building an army of mutants called Team X. But after a particularly gruesome incident in Africa, Jimmy walks out on the group, and ends up as a woodcutter in Canada with a hot schoolteacher girlfriend (Lynn Collins).

After a devastating tragedy, Stryker convinces Jimmy to undergo a procedure that will make him indestructible. It’s an agonizing operation that injects a substance called adamantium into his skeleton. And presto-chango, he’s “Wolverine,” his once bony spikes now shiny, titanium-looking weapons of mass destruction. And Victor comes back into his life, as well.

Here’s the thing about “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”: It’s not a bad movie, and Hugh Jackman and his awesome muscles are not hard to look at. But the writing is cheesy, and they could have done more with the various characters who show up in this movie, including card-shark Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), The Blob (Kevin Durand), John Wraith (Will.i.am), and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). I mean, I get that the movie is called “Wolverine,” but most of these characters are only in the movie for a few minutes, if that.

If you’re a fan of the X-Men characters and movies, you should check this out, especially now that it’s on Blu-ray and DVD.

Note to Parents: There’s lots of action and fighting and explosions, including one awesome scene with an exploding helicopter. Oh, and Hugh Jackman gets naked from a distance in a couple of scenes. But overall, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a PG-13 movie about a mutant superhero.

Image: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, TM and Copyright 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2009

Post from: Film Gecko

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 market, not to mention stressed out to the max. He seems on the verge of a mental breakdown when, to his horror, he sees his Double – yes, someone who looks and acts just like him.

As Liam searches for answers, his neglected wife, Jane (Kim Cattrall), and ignored son Connor (Briain Gleeson), distressed by his erratic behavior, think he’s probably hallucinating. Only Liam’s sister Oona (Sinead Cusack) and childhood friend Andy (Ciaran Hinds), a priest, believe him.

More after the jump, including a trailer…

He ends up confronting his double and discovers a few shocking things about his past. The double ends up luring him out of town and takes over his life. Liam lands in a homeless shelter run by Andy, and the story takes shape as a message about the vast chasm between Ireland’s rich and poor.

Snappy dialogue and gritty scenes of street-fighting and Ireland’s underbelly come together in a movie that keeps you guessing. Even with all the tension, the movie manages to be both light and comically entertaining at times.

If you have a chance to see ‘The Tiger’s Tail,’ it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s rated R for a scene of sexuality, and brief drug content. Here’s the trailer:

Image: Amazon.com

Post from: Film Gecko

One of my favorite actors, Patricia Clarkson, plays his wife, and Noah Emmerich plays his long-suffering assistant. Director Gavin O’Connor (‘Tumbleweeds’) and the producers of the similar sports movies ‘Remember the Titans’ and ‘The Rookie’ help bring this story to life.

Aside from a great cast and production team, what I love about ‘Miracle’ is the attention to detail. Not a hairstyle or accessory was missed in capturing the era of 1980. The story was especially needed at that time because the country was in a bit of a depression after the whole Watergate debacle.

Buy ‘Miracle’ on Blu-ray or DVD. Here’s the trailer:

Image: Amazon.com

Post from: Film Gecko

The first movie, 2002’s "Ice Age," was definitely the best. The second, 2006’s "Ice Age: The Meltdown," was cute, and this one is cute, too. They just seem to be losing their steam. But the animation continues to be fantastic, with every snowflake and furry animal popping off the screen at you. 

This third movie, released on DVD and Blu-ray Oct. 27, 2009, finds Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) preparing to have a baby Mammoth. Manny is nesting big-time, creating a beautiful little playground full of ice-figure mobiles, play structures, and teeter-totters.

It leaves Sid (John Leguizamo) wishing for a family of his own, and he gets just that when he stumbles upon a trio of large eggs. He doesn’t realize they’re dinosaur eggs, and their mom wants them back.

More after the jump…

Diego (Denis Leary) has his own issues. With all this family planning going on, he feels like he’s losing his touch in the wild. He can’t even chase after a nimble gazelle without gasping for breath.

When Sid accidentally falls into a strange underground world full of lush tropical foliage and creatures of every shape and size, the rest of the gang heads down to try and rescue him. They get some help from a one-eyed weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg) who’s like an animal version of Crocodile Dundee. 

The journey puts the group in grave danger, especially Ellie, who’s just about ready to have that baby Mammoth.

Of course, we can’t forget Scrat (Chris Wedge), who’s still on the hunt to grab and hold onto that elusive acorn. But that dream is seriously hindered by the appearance of a female sabre-toothed squirrel named Scratte. 

This movie is cute as all get-out, and the storyline moves along fairly well. But there’s not a lot of new ground here (well, aside from the lush new ground beneath the ice floes). If you have kids in the 5- to 8-year-old range who like cute, animated movies, this is a good choice.

NOTE TO PARENTS: The violence is mainly cartoonish, with Scrat’s quest to get the acorn and a few close calls from other characters (a gazelle being chased, but not caught and eaten). Some of the dinosaurs are pretty scary, but for the most part, they don’t inflict any real damage on any characters.  Sexual innuendoes are limited to Scrat and his new love interest, as well as Manny and Ellie acting sweet towards each other. In one scene, Sid tries to milk an animal that turns out to be male, and in another scene, he thinks a baby mammoth is a boy until Diego says, "That’s a tail." Language includes mild insults, usually directed at Sid, as well as "poop" and "barf."

DVD Bonus Features:

• Trailer: Alvin and the Chipmunks:The Squeakquel
• Trailer: Percy Jackson 
• Trailer: Aliens In The Attic
• Trailer: Night At The Museum 2
• Trailer: Glee
• Filmmaker Commentary
• Marley Meets Purina Puppy Chow

Photo Credit: Blue Sky Studios, TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Film Gecko

Here’s the scoop: Three snowboarders get stranded on a chairlift before their last run. As the ski patrol switches off the night lights, they realize with growing panic that they’ve been left behind dangling high off the ground with no way down.

The kicker is that the resort is closed until the following weekend, so they really have to take some action. But once they make their move, it’s clear there’s more to be afraid of than just the frigid cold.

This is why I stay away from snow sports. Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore and Kevin Zegers star; directed by Adam Green. Check out the official movie site.

Post from: Film Gecko

‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’

Really, there’s not much you can do with the romantic comedy formula, so it all comes down to the chemistry of the two leads. Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have plenty of it.

Ben (McConaughey) makes a bet with his boss that he can get a woman to fall in love with him in ten days to land a valuable advertising campaign. Andie Anderson (Hudson) is the "How To…" columnist for a women’s magazine, Composure. The topic of her next column is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, hence the title of the movie.

But Andie yearns to write more indepth, serious stories, so if she does a good job with this piece, her boss will give her complete freedom to write whatever she wants.

As luck would have it, Ben and Andie see each other at a bar and coincidentally choose each other as their “victims.” The rest is history.

Hudson, as usual, is completely adorable. And McConaughey plays the guy he usually plays in all his movies, but I’m fine with that because I love that sort of roguish character who gets the girl in the end.

Directed by Donald Petrie, ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ is rated PG-13 for some sex related material. The Deluxe Edition (buy it here) was released Aug. 25, 2009 and includes the following bonus features.

• How to Make a Movie in 2 Years
• Why the Sexes Battle
• Girls Night Out
• Commentary by director Donald Petrie
• Music Video: ‘Somebody Like You’ by Keith Urban
• Deleted Scenes with Director’s Commentary

Image: Amazon.com

Post from: Film Gecko

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 other people close to her are dropping left and right under mysterious circumstances.

Danny Huston and Ray Winstone also star, and Winstone especially is a real scene stealer. Gibson has the chops to play a guy who’s grieving over the loss of his daughter and really has nothing left to lose, so goes after the bad guys with a vengeance. The kicker is that since he’s a cop, everyone thinks that her killer was actually going after him.

More after the jump…

It’s directed by  Martin Campbell, who also directed ‘Casino Royale’ and the upcoming ‘Green Lantern.’ The screenplay was written by William Monohan, who also wrote ‘The Departed’ and ‘Body of Lies.’ Loved both of those movies, and as with those, ‘Edge of Darkness’ has a twisty-turny plot that leaves you guessing til the end.

Great movie! I highly recommend it if you like crime thrillers. As for Gibson? Eh, he’s still a great actor, even if he acts like an ass sometimes in real life. Here’s a photo of he and girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva at the red carpet premiere in Paris on Feb. 4, 2010.

Images: Bauer-Griffin; Warner Bros. Pictures

Post from: Film Gecko