Knight And Day - Thoughts

I remember seeing the trailer of Knight and Day when it was released, and promptly added it to my, rent and watch the DVD sometime list. It looked like fun with a seemingly competent cast. I wasn’t particularly keeping track of this movie, but noticing it in the video store this weekend, I decided to watch it. In Knight and Day a secret agent is working covertly to protect a young genius and his invention while being hunted by various people and agencies.  Amidst the chaos, double agents, and underground agendas is June, an ordinary girl who gets thrown into the mix and gets involved with the secret agent.

10 to 15 years ago, insanely large production budgets of over 100 million dollars were mostly reserved only for blockbuster action movies. While the action romantic comedy formula isn't new, following in the footsteps of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Knight and Day does very well in the romantic comedy narrative process amidst a storm of bullets. The movie combines elements of thrill, with entertainment, while keeping the action light enough to remain funny. Pace is pretty good, and there aren’t any overly slow or boring moments. A good deal of the scenes and stunts are over the top, contributing to the crazy factor of the movie; keeping things enjoyable throughout. If you’re looking for entertainment, you can’t go wrong with Knight and Day, which serves up both action and romantic comedy.

Normally people think of and talk of serious dramas when stellar performances come to mind. It is rare when excellence is identified and appreciated in comedy movies. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz’s performances in Knight and Day are simply amazing, leaving practically nothing to question or criticize. The energy that they bring to the movie is key in keeping it fun, while the genuine character portrayals help the audience in relating to their roles. Cruise plays Roy Miller who is just too good to be true; you may question his character for a bit, but after that expect to find him nothing short of dreamy. June Heavens played by Diaz is so seemingly everyday and ordinary, but before she knows it, her mix-up with the secret agent transitions from chaos to fondness. Similarly audience attachment is bound to grow as the narrative progresses, culminating in the June Heavens character being super adorable.

After the recent increase in theatre visits, it was back to the reliable formula of sampling a Region 1 US release DVD in the home theatre. Video was consistently good, color stayed vibrant, and picture crisp and clear. No post production color filters or hue’s were used. Being formatted for the big screen, expect the 16:9 version to appear with minimal horizontal letterboxing on a home widescreen TV. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack. Dialog was clear thanks to the center channel delivery, and action sequences were supported well by the overall sound effects. Surround stage usage wasn’t very noticeable, but was probably present and sufficient.

My Recommendation: Watch It (Mad, crazy, secret agent romance)

V: Season 1 - Thoughts

This one actually completely slipped through my radar, and I only got to know of it when I saw the DVD box set for sale in a duty free store in the Muscat airport. I made a note of it and did my research once I was back home. The limited buzz surrounding the show coupled with it being cancelled after 2 seasons leads me to believe that it wasn't exactly stellar. V - Season 1 opens with the arrival of The Visitors, a technologically advanced alien race, with a message of peace to all of humanity, though the possibility of a sinister ulterior motive being ever present.

Season 1 of the show had 12 episodes, each lasting around approximately 45 minutes. With very little idea of what expect, I got into it hoping it would be an engaging sci-fi experience, only to be somewhat let down. Considering the magnitude of what was happening and being presented, the overly polished, seemingly soft matte finish of the show made it a little lifeless. Agreed that the lack of true violence probably made it better suited for a larger audience group, but frankly V – Season 1 lacked the edge to be gripping. Aside from the obvious similarity with The 4400, that being a common cast member, there were a lot of parallels between the two shows. Some of the individual episode plots were weak, and seemed insufficient in the bigger scheme of the show and the alien presence on earth. If you’re big on sci-fi and just cannot have enough of it, V – Season 1 will work well, but otherwise with the multitude of television entertainment available, it’s unlikely that you’d want to invest as much time in it.

Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost fame plays FBI agent Erica Evans, the female lead and possibly the central character in the show. While I believe the dreamy character she played in Lost better suited her, she did a good job as the single mom balancing her career and raising her teenage son, in the midst of an alien invasion. Joel Gretsch of The 4400 fame plays Father Jack Landry, a man of strong value, forced to deal with extreme circumstances in testing times. Morena Baccarin plays Anna, the high commander of The Visitors. She does a pretty fabulous job of coming across as two faced, and it would be hard not to hate her character after a mere 1 episode.

Though the content I was sampling was an Mpeg 4 AVC rip, thanks to HD 720p specifications it was pretty decent. There was some video loss, with color vibrancy being average, and faded greys and beiges being more dominant; but that said the high resolution and the rip characteristics made it worthwhile. Picture was sharp, and definition was quite impressive in some scenes. Like most television shows formatted for 16:9 home widescreen TVs, the fit was perfect with no letterboxing. Sound was presented by means of a 5.1 Dolby Digital AC3 Surround track. Dialog delivery through the center channel was clear, and overall sound effects were decent. There was probably some surround stage usage, but nothing standout.

My Recommendation: Dicey (A relatively relaxed alien invasion)

Armored - Thoughts

I remember seeing the trailer for Armored a year or two ago and thinking it looked pretty cool. A friend of mine, who was seeing it with me, shared my sentiment. From the looks of it, it seemed like an action movie based on the events surround a heist of an armored car transporting money from a bank. I decided to catch this one on DVD, and finally got around to renting it and checking it out a few days ago.

Going by the trailer and its largely misguiding effect on my expectations, Armored turned out to be a bit of a letdown. First off, it’s not a fast paced action movie; the bulk of the narrative being quite slow. Many a time I found it to be dragging, and though the movie is just a mere 88 minutes long, it felt like a hell of a lot more. There are no thrilling on road chases and action sequences, which is largely what the trailer had me believe. In fact I was expecting circumstances similar to the final moments of The Italian Job; trust me, there’s none of that here. What Armored is, is a slow suspense flick, with action elements. From that perspective the movie is relatively competent. So if you’re in the mood for that, you’ll probably like it. If you’re looking for an edge-of-the-seat action joyride, you will be largely disappointed.

The cast of Armored is pretty capable, and that is perhaps one of the successes of the movie. The lead role of Ty Hackett is played by Columbus Short. Going by his filmography his efforts look to be minimal, with mostly small supporting roles in other movies. He does admirably in Armored, portraying effectively, a quiet nature coupled with good values. Amidst a group of heavy hitters including Laurence Fishburne, and Matt Dillon who do well as expected, there is a nice contrast of character that comes through.  Also part of the cast are popular TV actors, Amaury Nolasco playing Palmer (of Prison Break fame), and Milo Ventimiglia playing Eckehart (of Heroes fame).

The DVD I was sampling was a Region 1 US release; video was clear, though not outstanding. There was a dull look to the picture which was consistent throughout. The indoor and night scenes thus felt a bit dark. There were no vibrant or bright colors, and some scenes favored browns. The soundtrack was a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track, which was pretty good. Dialog being clear and surround stage usage noticeable in several scenes.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (a low key bank heist flick)

The Hunger Games - Thoughts

A couple of months ago I downloaded and watched the teaser trailer for The Hunger Games. For someone who knew nothing about the movie, and had no backstory, it didn’t really catch my attention. The next I heard of it was about a month ago when a friend who had read the book said we should see the movie once it opens in the theatres. Based on what he said, it sounded like a sufficiently interesting premise, surrounding a fight to the death sort of televised sport, set in a post-apocalyptic future.

While neither the post-apocalyptic setting, nor the televised ‘battle to the end’ idea are new, The Hunger Games packages and presents it nicely, thus making it distinctive. The movie is broken out into the buildup to the actual event, which provides some sense of setting, and then goes into the actual challenge. So it’s not all action and adventure, and does have a decent deal of drama and character development. With a runtime of over 2 and a half hours, pace has been managed well, keeping the momentum continuous, and delicately holding on to audience attention. The contrast between the districts and the obnoxious lengths of depravity that human beings can go to is captured well, serving somewhat as a cynical reality check. While the carnage isn’t as intense as some of the other last man standing themed movies, The Hunger Games isn't appropriate for the faint of heart. Though I’m told the movie doesn't do justice to the book, viewed independently it’s certainly worth the watch. If you’re into fiction, and enjoy action adventure themes, you’ll probably find The Hunger Games refreshingly fun.

Katniss Everdeen is probably the only name you need to really make note of in The Hunger Games. Just about every other role, including those played by relatively well known and acclaimed actors such as Donald Sutherland, and Stanley Tucci are only supporting characters in the narrative. The role of Katniss is played by Jennifer Lawrence, probably known from her role as Raven / Mystique in X-Men:  First Class. Considering the pivotal requirement of her character in The Hunger Games, she does astoundingly well, as the rough around the edges, street smart girl from a small town, new to the glitz of upscale society. Her efforts as an athlete are again portrayed believably, not coming across like a stretch in anyway.   Also worth mention are Josh Hutcherson who plays Peeta Mellark and Lenny Kravitz who plays Cinna.

I watched this one in the theatre, and the digital video experience was pretty impressive. Picture was clear throughout, and definition was good even in the darker scenes. The futuristic and extravagant presentation of the Capitol was outstanding, in a wondrous fabricated utopia way. Sound was probably a 7.1 Dolby mix, but it’s hard to tell for sure.  That said, dialog was perfect, and the sound effects accompanying the movie were all on point. Being seated towards one of the sides, my opportunity for surround sampling was limited. In my honest opinion the best sound experience is in that ideal seat in a home theatre, and not in a large commercial theatre. It’s probably got to do with the acoustics of a medium sized room as compared to a large room built for several hundred folks.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A refreshing spin on a post-apocalyptic future)

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Thoughts

I saw a trailer of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance a couple of months ago and thought it was okay. I don’t remember it being memorable, and the plot wasn’t very evident from it either. From having seen it recently, the sequel starts a few months/years after the first installment, and sees Johnny Blaze being recruited to help prevent a sinister plan, which has something to do with a little boy, and his kidnapping.

From what I remember of the first installment, while I found it simplistic yet fun, most people criticized it, and deemed it a waste of time. That backdrop coupled with the average trailer didn’t set much in terms of expectations for the sequel. Surprisingly Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance did pretty well, succeeding in coming across a lot more serious. The first movie had a very casual feel to it, while this one was a lot more gripping, allowing for the darkness of the Ghost Rider character to come through well. The inner struggle that Johnny Blaze was dealing with was a lot more evident. Right from the get go, the plot was riveting, with a certain amount of suspense as the story unfolded. Needless to say in true Ghost Rider fashion the action sequences and special effects were pretty cool; a department that the franchise has consistently succeeded in. While my friends who watched the movie with me did talk of a few glitches in the narrative, none of them were overly glaring. On the whole an entertaining comic book action flick!

Nicholas Cage who played Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. The Ghost Rider did a good job, certainly taking things a few notches up since the first movie.  He came across as lost, consumed, and having to deal with an inner battle, as the days passed. Violante Placido played Nadya, the female lead and mother of the little boy whom the plot revolved around. While she wasn’t nearly as hot as Eva Mendes, she did make up for it, looking and acting the part of an everyday caring mother. Fergus Riordan played Danny, the central character to the plot. His portrayal was pretty decent; acceptable though nothing special to talk about. Idris Elba played Moreau, a vital addition to the team, contribution nicely to the overall narrative, while making a strong and convincing showing.

I watched Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance in the theatre, video being clear and impressive. Colors were vivid, with the black of the Ghost Rider coupled with the orange flames appearing onscreen contrastingly. The implementation of 3D in the movie was quite limited, and though noticeable from time to time, it was largely forgettable. Watching a 2D version would work just as well. Sound was presented by means of a multi-channel surround soundtrack and was on point. Dialog was clear, but a little on the softer side, which made it difficult to hear every word when annoying folks in the audience would talk amongst themselves. Positional sound was decent, and sound effects were pretty good.

My Recommendation: Watch It - (A gripping dark Ghost Rider!)

Death Race 2 - Thoughts

I quite enjoyed the original Death Race, and recall checking out the trailer for Death Race 2 when it became available. Death Race 2 was to serve as a prequel, creating the background and building up to the events of the original Death Race; additionally providing insight to the original Frankenstein character. That said it looked like an attempt to expand on the franchise with amateur talent.. Since I wasn’t in any particular rush, I only got around the renting the DVD and checking it out last night.

Death Race 2 is a pretty straight forward action flick, going about doing exactly what was expected from the plot. Getting into it I did have some concerns of it being a low budget b-grade expansion, but it was pretty decent. The action sequences were good, and the plot acceptable. Don’t go into it expecting any twists and surprises, as there aren’t any. The development of the ‘Death Race’ concept and the characters is done well, with overall franchise continuity being quite impressive. The in car action sequences seemed weaker when compared to the original Death Race. If you’re looking for a fun action flick Death Race 2 will do well, but if you’re looking for something unique, special, or gripping, you won’t find it here. A friend described it well when she said she had some time one evening and watched it on cable and found it to be casual and entertaining.

After having seen several extremely mediocre franchise expansion flicks, with multiple additional installments, every subsequent one being worse than its predecessor, I was quite apprehensive.  Thankfully Death Race 2 didn’t suffer this curse. Though most of the relatively well known cast members such as Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, and Sean Bean only played supporting roles, the not so renowned leads did a decent job. Luke Goss plays Carl Lukas, the strong on morale, tough guy, getaway car driver. He comes across as calm, and thus you don’t get too much of the usual action hero attitude in your face, which is a refreshing change. Though I have not seen any of his past work, it looks like his filmography consists of a good deal of TV movies. Tanit Phoenix plays Katrina Banks, the bad girl, partner and wingman of Lukas. Her role is quite stereotype, and her performance is about acceptable at best.

The DVD I was sampling was a region 5, India release. Out of a lack of options I was forced to opt for this. Limitations included a 4:3 pan and scan format that resulted in vertical letterboxing on a widescreen TV. The worst part was the edited/cut scenes, which is not ideal for anyone who intends to view the movie in its original form as decided by the production studio and director. Video was okay, but seemed a little dull and lacking vibrancy in most scenes. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, and was mastered pretty loud. Surround usage was decent, and action sounds effects were as expected of any of the current day action flicks

My Recommendation: Watch It - (A straight forward yet entertaining prequel)

Rules of Engagement: Season 1/2/3 - Thoughts

A friend of mine recommended this show to me, and while I may have heard of it, I was honestly quite vague about it. After being repeatedly told that it was hilarious, I decided to download it and give it a watch. The show focuses on two couples, and their single friend; each episode covering the situational comedy resulting from their respective relationships.

 I usually review just 1 season at a time, but with Rules of Engagement having a really short first 1, and also thanks to its easy going nature, I decided to collectively watch a few seasons and review them together. Additionally, the first noticeable style change I noted was when I got to Season 4; so clubbing the first 3 seasons of 34 episodes made sense. As episode 1 of season 1 opens, audiences may get the feeling that Adam and Jennifer are the main couple, but as the episodes progress you will realize that the binding piece of Rules of Engagement is Jeff and Audrey. I would go as far as say that the second couple is thrown in there just as an addon to the strong Jeff – Audrey dynamic; similar to the addition of Russell’s over the top single player character. The show is light and fun, and great to relax and watch. Sadly it is not very gripping, and seldom did I find myself eagerly gunning to watch a second episode back to back. The overall setting seems a bit dated, but signs of age are by no means a negative. If you’re looking for easy fun entertainment, you’ll enjoy Rules of Engagement; but rest assured missing a few episodes will not hurt any.

The secret to Rules of Engagement being as enjoyable is Jeff and Audrey. Jeff is played by Patrick Warburton who is the stereotype husband of more than 10 years. He is super funny, and portrays the character brilliantly. Though I’m not familiar with any of his past work, his filmography looks to be pretty extensive. Audrey played by Megyn Price is the perfect match for Jeff, and together their chemistry is wonderful. To be honest there is very little I can think of to better the Jeff – Audrey dynamic. Adam is played by Oliver Hudson who is extremely convincing at being the totally dumb young boyfriend. In keeping with Adam’s character is Jennifer, played by Bianca Kajlich, his pretty yet silly young girlfriend. Last but not least is Russell played by David Spade; the funny little man, who is so totally single and in bachelor forever mode. Kudos to all the performances on Rules of Engagement, as all the cast members live and breathe their roles, down to the T.

The content I was sampling was a lossy DivX rip. Each episode weighed in at 175 MB, for approximately 21 minute episodes. Bitrate and compression seemed okay, but video lacked color vibrancy. Considering that Friends looked a lot like this, I would presume that the source content favored warm colors and browns, and wasn’t very vibrant to start with. Sound was presented by means of a 2 channel mp3 soundtrack, but served pretty well. Dialog was clear and I doubt the program was mastered with much more than a stereo mix.

My Recommendation: Watch It - (Fun, but not necessarily special)