The Hurt Locker

"You just can't switch off can you?"


A three man bomb disposal unit for the U.S. Army struggles to come to grips with a new leader, the impending end of their tour in Baghdad, and the strain that comes of knowing that nearly every citizen is a potential trigger-man for the bombs they disarm.


What do the movies Point Break, K-19: The Widowmaker, The Weight of Water, and Blue Steel all have in common, my personal tastes aside? Each had a sense of dry intensity that permeated even the "relaxed scenes", each had an oddly poignant sense of life and death, and each was directed by Kathryn Bigelow. So it's no wonder she's the director behind The Hurt Locker- a movie that not only delivers enough intensity and stress to make you crush your soda bottle, but tells the story of three men who's job is eat, sleep, and breath it.

The movie operates off the same principals that make the bombs there-in so terrifying: You have know idea when or where one might go off, but you know that when it happens it will be petrifyingly big, and perfectly deadly. And after a nearly eight minute opening sequence designed specifically to teach you these two things, that tension is perpetuated throughout nearly all of the remaining hour and twenty-three minutes.

The handsome duo of Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty play Sgt. Sanborn and Spec. Eltridge, two-thirds of the bomb disposal team. They play there parts to perfection. Remember the chemistry these two shared in their scenes in We Are Marshall? Well multiply that by 10 and you have their chemistry in The Hurt Locker. The third man, and new team leader in the unit is played by the unstoppably good looking Jeremy Renner who, like the rest of this movie, deserves every ounce of praise he's been receiving. At times his character plays a Training Day-esque game of keeping the audience (and his subordinates) guessing at whether he's the hero or the villain. Together these three are an amazing ensemble that takes an already incredible movie to the brink. These are three faces I am glad to see getting the spotlight, and that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for in the future.

One of the things that I really liked about this movie was it's lack of political charge. For every "good" character just trying to do their job and go home, there was a "bad" one out to abuse their position or impose their own will. Rather than focus on the political ramifications of the war, writer Mark Boal chose to look at the personal ramifications for three men who are fighting in it. Which makes the story so much more compelling.

There were two things about direction choices of this movie that had caught my eye as odd. These would be the closest things I have to complaints. But upon sitting down to write this review I could barely remember what they were- that says something. In a movie that aims to be a dose of anxiety from beginning to end, there was only one scene that I felt was predictable- and it was still gripping to watch.

This movie is an experience for the big screen, but even if you have to wait for the DVD make sure you see it. The Hurt Locker is for sure in my top five favorites of the year, and easily in the running for top three. A truly spectacular movie.

Reel Deal Recommends:

Jarhead: for another great military movie with Brian Geraghty that chooses the personal over the political.

Million Dollar Baby: for a beautiful told story and a stand out performance from Anthony Mackie.

28 Weeks Later: For another bloody U.K. adventure and more Jeremy Renner.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

"The boys pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female."


In his sixth year at hogwarts Dumbledore pulls Harry aside yet again to see to a special task. This time he is to uncover the missing portion of a tampered with memory, and in doing so comes across a mysterious book belonging to someone who calls them self the half-blood prince.

I am not a Harry Potter fan. I tried to read the books when they were still new but they simply didn't draw me in. That said, having as many friends as I do that are avid followers, I've seen all of the movies thus far. I didn't mind Prisoner of Azkaban, but Order of the Phoenix was the first one I truly enjoyed (and yes, I have noticed that Gary Oldman is the common thread there). As number 5 of 8 movies, I was hoping that the series would be compelling from there on out. Then I saw The Half-Blood Prince...

There have been a few complaints on my part that have run the entire length of the Potter movie series. I guess that just makes it my good fortune that this, the first installment released since the birth of The Reel Deal, is still making the same mistakes. Would you like to here what they are? I thought so.

1.) Daniel Radcliffe is, at best, a mediocre actor. And seeing as he plays the main character, the entire movie suffers at his hand. I guess that's what you get when you choose a child actor for the lead in a decade long project based on how much he looks like an illustration.

2.) Dumbledore, played now by Michael Gambone, needs more screen time. I think how little of this character's personal story is shared is a squandered opportunity. Or maybe it's not even so much about amount as it is about focus. One of the strongest points of the original Star Wars episodes was the amount of interest generated in Obi-Wan, even as a character who doesn't see the three quarter mark of the first film (fourth episode). Dumbledore's wisdom should be more of a touchstone. He's one of few characters, if not the only character, who saw everything unfold- what happened before Harry, and what's happening now with Harry. He is the bridge that connects the lore to the ongoing story- and I think that his underdevelopment in the films shines through more than ever in this chapter.

3.) Steve Kloves, writer of all but one of the Potter screenplays, seems to have an affinity for including plot points from the book without including the story lines that support them. Now I'm all for putting in little gems for those who follow the source material to notice and smile at- such as the cameo of Jubilee in X-men, or the appearance of the news vendor and boy reading "Tales of the Black Freighter" in Watchmen, but what's important about these things is that they were not plot points in their respective movies. You didn't need to catch and understand them to follow what was being shown to you in the rest of the scene. There were moments where, had I not had my favorite Harry Potter fan with me to explain, I would have been lost to certain things happening on the screen. That goes beyond fan pleasing- that's just bad writing.

Hmmm, I've decided that other complaint shouldn't be listed as a chronic complaint because this is the first movie where it's bothered me. I know that the saga's heroes are getting older. It's their Jr. year in "High school" and hormones are racing- but the troubled young love angle, while interesting, ran annoyingly long for me. There's only so much weeping I can take over High school love, especially when most of us old enough to be done with High school know it doesn't matter in the end anyhow. And no it's not just jealousy as Emma Watson gets closer and closer to full fledged "hottie" status in real life.

But this shouldn't be a bash-fest. This time out we again have some very strong scenes mixed in to reinforce the weak. The scenes between Jim Broadbent as Slughorn and Frank Dillane as a teen-aged Tom Riddle were utterly enthralling to me. And of course, Dumbledore gets a huge boost in screen time this go-around, though I fear it may be too little too late.

You see, The Half-Blood Prince isn't a bad movie, I just found myself constantly wanting to turn and re-focus the camera throughout the scenes. The movies points of interests more often than not didn't mesh with my points of interests when it came to the characters and events, and it's the movies burden to make it's points of interest my points of interest. Instead, while being shown one thing I would find myself thinking: "I wonder what's going on over there..."

The Harry Potter films always have their high points. It's just that they are sprinkled in among films that tend to run at two hours and change. That's a long wait between interesting moments for your average uninvested movie goer. Though for true fans I'm sure it's barely a wait at all. I mean let's face it, they've already been waiting eight years for this series to finish. And from the looks of the opening weekend box office for their newest adventure, they'll have no problem waiting two more.

P.s. Do you know what screenplay was the only one Kloves didn't write? That's right dear reader, it was Order of the Phoenix, the only Potter movie I truly liked. Coincidence or lesson for the kiddies? You make the call...

Reel Deal Recommends:

Well if you saw this one you've probably already seen all the movies I could recommend for most of this cast.

Hot Fuzz: For a hilarious romp featuring Jim Broadbent.

Momma always said: Best to be on time, but better late than never.

Instant Cassette

Where in the Reel Deal gives abridged reviews of movies and series recently released on DVD.

Today's episodes: Revolutionary Road, The Savages, and Fan Boys.

Revolutionary Road

I have said of the movie Closer, that it's most stunning quality is how well the break ups are written.  In truth the entire movie is a bad break up and exist as such so authentically (read brutally) that it almost makes you call your ex and apologize.  Such is the way of Revolutionary Road.  Anyone who's ever stayed in a relationship after it's gone sour will feel the arguments (and the silences) like a punch in the stomach.  And the scenes are so amazingly acted that it's hard to believe Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet don't really resent each other.  Even with all that heat, however, the movie plays in a very somber tone.  And something about those two features mixed together fits this tale of two people lost in a world of conformity perfectly.    

Every character in the movie is written in a way that simultaneously garners them disdain and sympathy from the audience at the same time- which adds even more to the realism of how the situations unfold.  The ease of relating is sometimes heartbreaking,  and the ending finds as much resolution as it can without breaking the mood of self imposed helplessness, and the sense that every home may have been as perfect on the outside and embroiled in turmoil on the inside as the Wheeler's.

In short:  This is not one of those times where all the buzz is just praise to the names on the poster.  Revolutionary Road is an exceedingly well done film.

Queue It or Don't Do It?

Well if that last sentence didn't bring it all together for you I'll lay it out there:  QUEUE IT.

The Savages

Though the main characters are a brother and sister well into their lives, this movie plays i like a coming of age film.  Especially for Laura Linney who plays the sister, and does an amazing job at it- as always.  I would also like to take this moment to mention that I have yet to EVER see Philip Seymour Hoffman give a bad performance, which is pretty amazing seeing as I've seen him play everything from the funny fat friend to one of the coldest, hardest villains this side of a certain wheezing sith lord who shall remain nameless.  This movie was written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, who also wrote and directed Slums of Beverly Hills, another movie with a well written, off beat family dynamic. 

This movie is the simplest kind of heart warming, which makes it feel so good to take in.  I picked it without any prior knowledge of it's existence.  I was simply browsing, saw those three names in the credits and thought: "Hmmm, can't be all bad."  It seems I was right.  The Savages comes out of the gate with no tricks up its sleeve,  if your looking for something flashy look elsewhere.  But if your looking for a film that delivers a poignant and personal story on nothing but the basics, you just found it.

Queue it,  most definitely queue it.

FAN BOYS

I had seen previews for Fan Boys before it came out and thought it would be at least worth a try, but when it's release was so limited that I didn't even know it had happened- I went on about my life and never gave it a second thought.  But even when the wonder that is On-Demand brought it back to my attention- I had second thoughts.  After picking movie after movie over it, Watcher X threw it on as a late night distraction... and we were utterly pleased.  

But really before anything else I wanna make it clear:  though it has moments that any general audience can enjoy, this movie was most obviously made for Star Wars fans, by Star Wars fans.  The more you enjoy and know about Star Wars, the funnier you'll think this move is.  And I guess this is the part where I mention that I thought it was HILARIOUS.

The main characters are played by young faces you'll most definitely know from somewhere else, and each one brings something needed to the ensemble.  But in the end, the best part of this movie is the story piece that got left out of all the previews.  Though it's an under laying piece of the entire adventure, it shines through the most in the last ten or fifteen minutes, and bumps the movie up from simply funny to truly enjoyable.

As if that weren't enough, expect cameo's through out the entire thing from Star Wars cast members, Hollywood's fans there of... and one more.  And as a strange aside, I'll mention that Seth Rogen randomly plays three different roles in this movie- I just thought you should know.   Queue it and be ready for more than you bargained for.

Blood: The Last Vampire

"Do you know what this means? It means that this - THING- doesn't work at all!"

Young woman is inserted into a high school on a military base to deal with strange murders that are occurring there.

I have never been a huge fan of Anime. But it is my opinion with all forms of art, that no matter how much you may not like the mass majority, there is always at least one thing you can find to like. And so it was that the original short film Blood: The Last Vampire became one of the first Animes I ever saw, and one of the few I really like.

Flash forward nearly a decade, and imagine my surprise when I hear they are making a live action adaptation for the big screen. Now I knew the risks going in, but sometimes you just have to see for yourself- even if your seeing a train wreck. And now, having seen for myself, I must say I was very relieved. I had been afraid the change over would mutilate the character and story I had come to love in Blood, but now I know they are both safe- since this movie has little to do with either of them.

Gone is the mystery of the lead character, and with it the mystery that swirls about the story. It's no wonder then that they completely ditched the "leave the audience in mostly darkness until the end" approach. It built intensity in the original, but would have been lost here. I could go on and on really, but with each lost virtue I point out in this movie I am further disappointed by all the squandered potential there in. I'll just save myself sometime here and put it like this: Aside from the title, the only things Blood: The Last Vampire shares with the original are two sequences and a high school uniform.

One of those sequences, I might add, culminates in the pivotal moments of the Anime. However, all it's meaning and intrigue are completely lost when put in the context the screen play creates for it. Instead of being the moment where the viewer looks on and thinks: "Wow, I wonder what she's thinking? I wonder what this means?" I found myself thinking instead: "What the F is this and why is it in here?"

Comparisons aside this movie is terrible. Parts of it reminded me of seeing Mortal Kombat live as an early teen... Yeah, it was that bad. The special effects are unimpressive, the fight scenes make obvious and terrible efforts to emulate 300's unique style, and the story and characters play like the writer sat down with Grandpa Cinema's Big Book of Cliches and set about flipping through the pages and circling the one's he liked in red pen like a giddy girl with a bridal magazine.

Oddly enough the first thing I thought of when I finished this movie was 2005's Constantine. Coming out of the theater when I first saw it I found myself wondering if it's screenplay hadn't been written as it's own complete entity, then given an established properties name to draw audiences. It was the same as I walked solemnly from the theater yesterday afternoon. But let's not get confused here, that's where the similarities end. True to the cannon or no, Constantine is a spectacular movie that was criminally under seen. Blood: The Last Vampire is an obvious money grab, that will probably have fans (at least American ones) in an up roar.

Reel Deal Reccomends

Blood: The Last Vampire: Yup, the original anime- like you didn't see that coming.

My Sister's Keeper

"No toon can resist the old 'shave and a hair-cut' trick."

The collective memoirs of a family trying to cope with their eldest daughters impending death of cancer, set against the back drop of a court case filed against the family by the youngest daughter- who's was conceived as a donor but no longer wants the role.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you know a certain thing is expected of you? And the more and more people look to you to do this certain thing, the more you are unwilling to? If only because it was so blatantly expected of you? That's how I felt sitting in the theater watching My Sister's Keeper. The thing they were expecting of me? Tears.

Through this whole movie I got the sense that the entire crew was out to get me all choked up. Now you might be saying to yourself: "But that's fair right? Romantic comedies are out to make you feel romantic while laughing? Dramas are out to make you feel dramatic? What's the problem?" But here I would have to disagree with you person I've created for the purposes of this review. See I think a great movie with a great story's only goal is to tell that story well. If it is a truly great story, then your reaction will come on it's own. See the difference?

I think that a good example of this is the amount of montages. Director Nick Cassavetes (who also directed the Notebook, another movie where got the same feeling) apparently has become another convert to the montage mantra: The belief that for every half hour of run time, there is to be at least one montage. Also known as the Baywatch rule. With a run time of nearly two hours, you can see where I'm going with this.

Two things that rose above this din of posturing, however, were the performances from Jason Patric, as Brian Fitzgerald- and Sofia Vassilieva as Kate Fitzgerald. Playing the Father of the family, Patric easily could have filled every scene with hot emotion- but instead played them all with worn down understatement. This choice bound me to the character, and drew me into a movie that otherwise didn't have much going for it. Sofia Vassilieva, as a character who's been facing her own death almost her entire life- runs the emotional gauntlet, but is always believable. Beyond these the performance were all very good, but felt a bit labored.

I think this movie will feel just right to anyone who loved movies like, well, The Notebook to be completely honest. But I think other viewers will find it comes up just a bit short for their taste. As for me, my tears stayed safe in their ducts.

Reel Deal Reccomends:

NARC: For a riveting performance out of Jason Patric.

???: Sofia Vassilieva has done most of her work on t.v. and apparently below my radar. Let me know your faves of hers!

Year One

"Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."


A fumbling hunter and an awkward gatherer are cast from their village after breaking their tribes most sacred law. But once out on their own, they discover their relegation may well be their chance at greatness.

Do you remember my review for The Hangover? I used an entry archetype called "Two Cents in Two Sentences." I did this because I feared that giving a full review to a movie that was so purposefully boiled down to pure fun and slapstick might be me missing the point. I have to say I regret that choice now.

Not because my motives were off, but because to use that archetype again so soon would feel like a cop out. Which means I have no choice but to try and find a way to review Year One. If I was gonna do a "Two Cents in Two Sentences" review for Year One, here's what it would be: Save your money. Save your time.
To be honest I was curious but not seriously interested in seeing this movie at first. Then, when I found out that Harold Ramis co-wrote and directed it- my hopes were elevated. For anyone who's unaware Harold Ramis is a writer who has been sprinkling our culture with comedy gems for decades, but he is most well known for his literary coupling with Dan Aykroyd which blessed the world and all upon it with the Ghost busters movies. And I'm glad that those two delectable films will be his career's legacy, and not mundane drivel like this.

Year One's efforts at hilarity are matched in intensity only by it's failures at the same. It is another one of those unfortunate situations where you watch the preview, chuckle out loud, and think that the movie could really be funny- only to hit the stadium seating find out that you have already watched all the funny parts in the preview. It's a damn shame too because once I realized that the plot of this movie is really two morons stumbling through infamous biblical events- it seemed like the perfect opportunity for Ramis' subtle satire. Instead I got 97 minutes of dick and fart jokes.

Dick and fart jokes delivered, might I add, by one of the poorest performances I have ever seen out of Jack Black. As a closet Tenacious D. fan and a man who enjoys many of his other films, I am certainly not a Jack Black hater. But his brand of humor falls so flat in this movie that you wouldn't even know it was there if you were looking at it from ground level. And Michael Cera doesn't do much to help with his usually entertaining "straight man" schtick.

Actually, speaking of Michael Cera, let me qualify those dick and fart comments. I think dick and fart jokes have a valid place in comedy. I've seen more than one movie that knocked me dead with them. But if their all middle school quality, then the only audience they'll ever really find is in a middle school; and if you were as miserable in middle school as I was, you know that there's nothing in this world worth going back for.

Year One is made up of an all star cast, which is probably supposed to be one of the big draws. The whole movie is full of faces and names that I've seen be so completely hilarious I was left short of breath- but not one of them manages to pull off more than a chuckle this time out. I guess in the end it just proves Harold Ramis' genius: He put how many stars this movie should get in the title.



Reel Deal Recommends:
Ghost Busters: for Harold Ramis at his best.
Shallow Hal: Jack Black leads in a movie as hilarious as it is oddly touching.

Superbad: For dick and fart jokes done right, and Michael Cera at his straight man best.

FYI to all (read both of) The Reel Deal's followers!

For some reason that I cannot explain, my laptop seems to take morbid joy in murdering the font and size settings of Blogger.com's text editing program. I know not why my friends, I know not why... But I am relatively sure it is my laptop's fault because all the other blogs I read don't seem to have this problem, and because I refuse to believe that I am really that big of a moron. A bit slow from time to time maybe, but moron- I think not.

She's a sweet girl, my lappity top (yes she is a girl), but I'll be the first to admit that she has seen better days. Might I also add that her disc drive doesn't seem to wrok anymore, and that she coughs and sputters everytime I turn her over to empty her bed pan ...Ok well that second one's a lie but you follow right?

I've tried writing them in a seperate prgram and then pasting them in but nothing's seems to work. I am at a loss... But I swear to you I will continue the search for answers and in the mean time I beg of you to swear in return that you will not judge my font-follied ways. Thank you, and stay tuned for Reel Deal's reviews of Year One and My sister's Keeper.

Until then I'm Bruce Nolan, and that's the way the cookie crumbles.