Repo Men (2010, U.S.)

Remy is a repo man for The Union, a company that installs artificial organs and takes them back when the owners can't pay their debts. After a job-related injury, he wakes up to find himself the owner of a state of the art heart. When he can't pay, he goes on the run, and his former partner is sent after him.

The concept wasn't bad, although I fail to see why his company wouldn't have covered a work-related injury. (Though to be fair, their boss was pretty evil.) The music was pretty cool, very smooth and jazzy, which lent a nice contrast to the constant action. The huge twist ending was also exciting. However, mostly I found the whole thing to be entirely too graphically violent.

Rating: 2.5

Salt (2010, U.S.)

I never thought I would see the day that I agreed with Roger Ebert, but I think it has come. He gave it four out of four stars, saying that "It's gloriously absurd. This movie has holes in it big enough to drive the whole movie through." Amen. It's like a super cheesy and preposterous 1950s spy film but with the realism that comes from modern day film techniques, and this is a very disconcerting combination. You could almost say it was so ridiculous it was good.

A lot of the plot devices lacked clarity, but I can't go into without giving away the ending. I did figure out one plot twist thanks to an episode of Lost, which was kind of fun for me.

Of course, I love Angelina Jolie more than anyone else I know. She makes an excellent action hero (see Tomb Raider). Apparently she's been wanting to do a spy franchise, and I wish this had a better script so they could make a franchise out of it. I do have to say thank goodness Tom Cruise dropped out, because this movie would have been ten kinds of awful with him instead of her.

Besides Jolie, the three best parts were the action, the setting, and the music. A lot of the action was based on Salt running and running and running from her pursuers, rather than explosions and shooting (though there was a good share of that too). The filming took place primarily in D.C. and was really well done. And the score (by one of my favorite composers) was perfect. If I had listened to it without the movie, I would have said to myself, "This would make good spy music!"

Don't expect much, and you'll be entertained. Especially if you like Angelina Jolie.

Rating: 3.5

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009, U.S.)

Let's face it. Hugh Jackman is a badass. I don't know if anyone else could have pulled this film off. The plot was a bit confusing at places and strained credulity at others, but it was still pretty awesome.

Aside from Hugh Jackman, the rest of the cast was pretty amazing. Dominic Monaghan and Will.i.am I thought were especially good, but Ryan Reynolds just stole the show. Considering that they all had such minor roles in a story that revolved around Jackman's character, it was especially impressive. (Side note: two of my favorite Aussie actors made brief appearances... Wish they were longer!)

The special effects were also jaw-dropping. Fight scenes were over-the-top, but pretty cool and well-choreographed.

One last thing that especially impressed me was the score. Of course, I've love Harry Gregson-Williams since the first time I heard the Kingdom of Heaven score. (Other good work of his includes Shrek and Gone Baby Gone.) Normally superhero-type movies have cheesey, over-the-top scores, but this one was perfect. It used some of the stereotypical action stuff, but it also had some truly beautiful parts too. That man sure can compose.

Overall, I think this is a good addition to the X-Men films (perhaps the best one), and I look forward to the other Origins films they're planning to make.

Rating: 3.5

Kate & Leopold (2001, U.S.)

I have always hated Meg Ryan, but I was willing to overlook this for Hugh Jackman. Mistake!

This movie was terrible. Although the whole romance/comedy/fantasy combo could have worked, even with some scientifically sketchy time travel, it just didn't. I can't really explain it, but the time travel thing just didn't click. For instance, Jackman was very convincing about not understanding the 20th century at first, but by the end of the "day," it was as if he'd always been there. No sense.

Also, the chemistry between Ryan and Jackman was nonexistent. She seemed to have more with Schreiber, who was playing her ex. In fact, the interaction between Jackman and Schreiber created what little enjoyment I found in the flick.

Meg Ryan is an awful actress and the writing for this film was awful. That is a fatal combination. Sorry, Hugh.

Rating: 2.0

Defiance (2008, U.S.)

Defiance was astounding. So astounding that I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for more Oscars. The story was incredibly moving, all the more so because it was based on a true story. It is really a testament to the human spirit. These brothers' ability to create a community and protect their people and their culture in the face of extreme hardship is inspiring, all the more so because they each stayed true to their beliefs. I thought that the story was well-adapted without making it over-dramatic/emotional while still impressing upon the audience the magnitude and meaning of this quietly heroic undertaking.

The acting was brilliant. I was really impressed with Jamie Bell, a 22-year-old kid who played the youngest brother with a perfect mix of innocence and maturity. Liev Shreiber's character was rough and stoic, and his gruff demeanor never faltered. Daniel Craig stole the show, as I knew he would. That man has talent. Pure talent. All three maintained convincing Eastern European accents too, which was an added bonus. (Word on the street is that the other recent WWII film, Valkyrie, has a scattering of British and American accents where there should be German ones.)

On top of the acting and the subtly told story, the music and scenery just put it over the top. Really, listening to James Newton Howard's beautiful, haunting score filled with violin solos by Joshua Bell while watching beautiful shots of Eastern European forests would have made this film worth seeing by itself, no plot necessary. More movies should be filmed on location. James Newton Howard should do more scores. (His Peter Pan score is one of my all-time favorites.) I can't reinforce enough how much these two elements contributed to this film. And if Defiance doesn't win the Oscar for Best Original Score, I will truly be blown away.

Rating: 4.5