Aside from having perhaps the worst movie title in the history of movies, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a stunning film and one that can be appreciated by anyone willing to give it its due diligence. Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe – Gladiator, Cinderella Man) is the captain of the HMS Enterprise. This British ship protected the Pacific Ocean from Napoleon’s French forces, who sought to invade England. As directed by the Queen of England herself, his job is to intercept any attacking vessel from the French fleet.
Continue reading Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Takers, John Luessenhop’s first attempt at a big-budget movie, falls flat on its face before it ever gets going. Takers is an entirely unoriginal, formulaic, good guys versus bad guys movie. It’s one of those movies where the trailer tells a better story than the actual film. With a cast that includes Matt Dillon (There’s Something About Mary, Wild Things), Idris Elba (HBO’s The Wire, Obsessed), Paul Walker (Joy Ride, Running Scared), T.I. (American Gangster, ATL), Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Jumper), and Jay Hernandez (Friday Night Lights, Hostel), among others, I thought that at least I’d be entertained with the acting. Heck, the R&B singer Chris Brown was even in this movie.
The Nines did nothing to convince me that Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal, The Amityville Horror) is the great actor many consider him to be. I’m still waiting on one Ryan Reynolds movie that I enjoy. I’m expecting I will enjoy The Green Lantern, but my enjoyment of this movie might be despite Ryan Reynolds and not because of him. I also suspect I will enjoy 
Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine did nothing but further enhance my opinion that 2010 has been the best year for movie releases in my lifetime. Blue Valentine was one of the few movies of 2010 that I did not see in the theatre, and I can only imagine the impact it would have had on me had I seen it on the big screen. It is a raw, emotional antithesis of the ideal life. As the movie ends, you will be grateful that what you have just seen does not parallel your life and hope it never will.
2005’s Hard Candy turned out to be a breakout movie for debut feature film director David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Patrick Wilson (