Friday, 6/12/09

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - 3 stars

This was a hard one to rate. I couldn't decide between 2 1/2 and 3 stars. Its kind of right in the middle of that. Which means, its almost a good movie, but its not bad. Its slightly better than mediocre.

If you have seen the trailer, that tells you exactly what you need to know about the movie. They're selling it just right, so if the trailer gets you excited, you will probably like this movie. If not, don't bother. You're not really missing anything.

John Travolta is way over the top as the bad guy, but its kind of fun to watch. He is in full Face/Off mode here, except not as funny. Well, once in a while you will chuckle at him. I do wish he lightened up a little more and had more fun with the role. He is angry the entire movie, but he does make an effective villain.

Denzel Washington is good as always. I especially like the way his character stammers when he is under pressure. That's the way most people would react, but its rare to see that in a movie. Near the end of the movie, he becomes a bit more of an action star than a regular guy, and I had a hard time buying that. I don't think his character would chase after the bad guys the way he does. He would leave the rest to the police.

Basically, the movie is a decent action movie if you want to go see something this weekend. But you will forget about it once Transformers 2 opens.

Imagine That (didn't see)

... but did I really need to see it? Is there any chance this doesn't suck, suck, suck??? What happened to Eddie Murphy? He hasn't done an R-rated movie since Life in 1999. Where is the guy who gave us Delirious, Raw, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, Coming to America ... WTF?

Look, its great that he has a family and wants to do some movies that they can see. But A) they don't have to suck, and B) you can do a funny, dirty movie once in a freakin' while! Don't let your kids boss you arround, Eddie. You're the boss.

Treeless Mountain (didn't see)
Valentino - The Last Emperor (didn't see)
Call of the Wild 3D (didn't see)

Yeah, once again I didn't see very many of the movies. What can I say? Some weeks I have more time than others.