“THE LAST STAND” Movie Review. Tactical POWER PLAY in this TERSE, DENSE Actioner.

“THE LAST STAND” PRESS PREVIEW

With the current onstream avalanche of action offerings dressed in the splendor of the 3D stereoscopy, it is a welcome respite to appraise something as simple as “old school”.

Such is ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ‘s newest flick “THE LAST STAND”.

This spectacular vintage action star is back again to prove that he is in absolute top form, none the worse for wear and tear.

Hear him roar as he slams his opponents: fist-fights, gun fire, car chases, explosives, one follows another, with dedicated ferocious glee.

 For sure, this ageing grand dad can still command a fight movie any time.

 If you go with a free mind, you might well leave the cinema assailed with a twinge of nostalgia, because this is one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

Like JACKY CHAN, he is looking a teeny old and crinkly and you would not expect him to be prancing about like a devil-may-care hero in this movie.

But he did. With delicious aplomb.

ARNOLD is absolute tops in THE LAST STAND, a role that is crafted specially for him and loyalist fans.

What’s more, ace Korean director KIM JEE-WOON is at the helm to create a non-Hollywood treatment.

The DOP is Korean too. Well, a nice change of talent transcending borders.

It’s been a decade since ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER toplined a movie.

Fast forward, and you see ARNOLD  as the sheriff of a sleepy border town who becomes the last line of defense when a notorious cartel leader and his heavily-armed henchmen attempt to escape into Mexico.

From then, it is pure action, power play between the good cops and the bad guys spiced with dry, dark humor.

“THE LAST STAND” offers almost 1 hour-and-47 minutes of aesthetic escapism.

It is a mind blowing ride with a competent ensemble cast.

Never mind what the armchair critics are trying to cajole you to believe in.

It is a decision of the heart.

For the baby boomers and die-hard fans of ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, rally around folks.

This one can do no wrong.

In summary, it is another of ARNOLD’s standout film: rich, absorbing, the right locale and the right subject undertaken by KIM JEE-WOON.

GO WATCH IT!

“JACK REACHER” Movie Review. He’s LARGER than LIFE.

“JACK REACHER” PRESS PREVIEW

Here we go again, it’s TOM CRUISE as the butt kicking badass in “JACK REACHER”.

For jolly good measure too. 

I’ve never been big on TOM CRUISE.

But he is very much in his element playing the iconic anti-hero JACK REACHER, a character created by British author LEE CHILD pow-wowing the baddies and tabling them all to justice.

“JACK REACHER” ensures you a fun ride, laced with action and dark humor.

 TOM CRUISE again displays his prowess that, whichever angle you may look at him, he commands stoic respect.

 This is a CRUISE brand and he empowers as the movie star.

As both producer and star, CRUISE has developed a potential franchise, a vanity project and a crowd pleaser.

The film opens with a horrific shooting of five innocents, throwing the heartland city into a stare of pandemonium.

The police follow the trail of clues that leads to James Barr (Joseph Sikora), a recent veteran and ham him as the shooter.

Beaten into a coma while in custody, Barr has enough time during his first interrogation to write a simple message:  “Find Jack Reacher.”

Before everyone, such as the district attorney (RICHARD JENKINS), Barr’s lawyer Helen Rodin ( ROSAMUND PIKE), and the lead investigator on the case, Detective Emerson (DAVID OVELOWO), can even discuss how to find Reacher, our hero strides nonchalantly into the police station.

 And as Reacher probes deeper into the case,  he realizes that James might not be guilty after all.

Writer/director CHRISTOPHER McQUARRIE blends action, suspense, thrills and comic relief skillfully.

As in any action film, you have to fully suspend disbelief  to fully enjoy this spy thriller.

If you are a fan of TOM CRUISE, then this film should not fail.

“PREMIUM RUSH” Movie Review. Are you GEARED for spectacular BICYCLE STUNTS?

“PREMIUM RUSH” PRESS PREVIEW

Honestly speaking …..

You can rarely come across a feature film such as “PREMIUM RUSH” that breezes you through the breathtaking insights of a cycle courier, battling his parkour on wheels (a grueling non-competitive sport focusing on physical discipline).

The headline “RIDE LIKE HELL” says it loud and clear, screaming for attention from the movie poster.

You are promised that the death-defying stunts are going to be authentically old-school.

There will not be any computer-generated enhancement imagery used to deceive your eyes, so the actions are for real.

And the bonus: this season’s hottest flavor JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT will be playing the bicyle riding lead in this story.

He stars as WILEE, this devil-may-care bicycle messenger who speeds precariously on his “fixie”, a bike that is a super lightweight, single geared and brakeless.

WILEE is a die-hard bicycle messenger and his job is totally reliant on this “fixie” bike.

Far from being a piece of cake, his daily daunting tasks are spiced with spills and thrills, fraught with dangers in trying to avoid himself from being hit by speeding vehicles, human beings and reckless cab drivers along the street.

 Bike messengers are employed by courier companies because bicycle travel is less prone to unexpected holdups in city’s congested traffic jams  and is unlikely to be deterred by unpleasant parking limitations that can hinder prompt delivery.

Be prepared to be amazed by the stunning bike choreography.

“PREMIUM RUSH” is an eye-opener that implores you to share the hectic routines of the bicycle messengers and is fertile ground to set off a high octane actioner.

The film director DAVID KOEPP exemplifies a courageous tale of respect and resilience.

The plot:

WILEE, a dedicated New York bike messenger is entrusted with  an envelope by NIMA, a young Chinese woman played by JAMIE CHUNG at an uptown Manhattan college.  The instructions?  He has to deliver it to a shady address in Chinatown within 90 minutes.

No one would ever expect a corrupt police office to suddenly step in and demand the envelope on ambiguous grounds.

The shady motives are succintly revealed through a series of flashbacks as the cop (MICHAEL SHANNON) and the messenger furiously engage in a cat-and-mouse chase in a race against time.

 WILEE has to defend the urgency of the envelope’s mysterious contents.

A little on film director DAVID KOEPP here:

Granted, he may be one of Hollywood most prolific screenwriters with more than two decades of writing blockbusters.

But helming the movie is another story.

He has delivered the actions well.

Outside of the stunts, the treatment of  the tamer scenes in-between tends to fall substantially into light-hearted buffoonery.

MICHAEL SHANNON the predator is portrayed as a bumbling, inept idiot who’s been given a hard time by JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT in the dodging game. Also, there’s a touch of comedic element meted to the rogues and the evil characters are far from being the menacing and slashing lot.

An air of sinister suspense can do wonders to ignite the sparks, and could fare better to keep the adrenalin flowing.

Whatever it takes, if you are an avid fan of JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, this one can’t possibly go wrong.

Enjoy!