Red

In Bruce Willis' latest super secret agent movie, he plays Frank Moses, an ex-CIA secret operative who is in retirement, but is forced out of retirement when he learns that someone has a hit out on him. To make matters worse, these hitmen are also after the phone representative girl (Mary-Louise Parker) that he calls everyday because he's in love with her. Now he must save himself, and her. And he's never met her.

Assisting him on the hunt for the person who put out a hit on him are former ex-CIA secret operatives Nelson Mandella (who convincingly played Morgan Freeman once in a movie - or was it the other way around?), John Malkovich (who starred in Being John Malkovich), and Helen Mirren.

Also staring in the movie are 200 year old Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, Julian McMahon, and Karl Urban.

An interesting point about Julian McMahon - he played the Vice President running for President in the movie. In real life, McMahon is the son of a former Prime Minister of Australia - Sir William McMahon.

Red, which stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous, is more of an action comedy. There were plenty of parts that made me laugh. There is a lot of shooting, not a lot of blood, and a curse word here and there. The movie is rated PG-13 for said shooting and language.

I was adequately entertained by Red and it's nearly continuous sequence of action. I find it suffice to give it 3.5 stars.

The Maiden Heist

In The Maiden Heist, Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy star as three senior security guards at an art museum that have fallen in love with particular pieces of art over the years. However, their love turns to fear upon learning that a young punk curator will be moving their beloved pieces to a museum in Denmark. Distraught, they discover that one another has similar feelings and decide that they must do something to stop this travesty.

The three actors bring their best abilities to the screen, and their respective characters bring their own unique personality to the ultimate heist. Freeman is the calm and collected member, Macy the slightly psychotic former Marine, and Walken is the determined, straight guy.

The movie is not a rip-roaring comedy, but it does have a cuteness factor as we are now watching three of our favorite actors now as old men. Macy's character is definitely the funniest and he plays a similar character to most of his roles.

The Maiden Heist is rated PG-13 for language, violence, and some nudity. Do not get too excited as the nudity is not some hot young 24 year old girl.

Directed by Peter Hewitt, The Maiden Heist is 90 minutes long, the perfect length for this type of movie.

This movie that I got from Netflix was a good filler for a crammed week. I got a couple of good laughs and I didn't have to spend all night watching it. The plot is fairly thin and predictable, but that was okay. I give this movie 3 stars. After you've seen the other good movies that are out, you may get a fair kick out of this one.

Wanted

I used to think that Angelina Jolie was pretty hot. She's still okay, but many fine young ladies have pole-vaulted in front of her. But that doesn't mean I won't watch a good Jolie movie, even if she has 15 kids of every different color.

Wanted is about a fraternity of hitmen (and women, but not drunk college kids) that assassinate people around the world as they are instructed. One day Wesley Gibson's, played by James McAvoy (Last King of Scotland, Atonement, and Narnia) father is assassinated. Gibson finds himself targeted and recruited at the same time while trying to live his normal boring pathetic life.

Jolie and Sloan (Morgan Freeman) recruit Wesley into the fraternity of assassins, but Wesley finds out that life as an assassin isn't quite what he thought it was going to be.

The movie is more fantasy than anything, but it is certainly action-packed. From bullet bending, to leaping from building to building, to an outrageous and unbelievable car chase, this movie should keep your attention for the full hour and 40 minutes. I was a bit surprised by the ending, which I love. I can't stand it when a movie is super-predictable. This movie is not.

Morgan Freeman again does a good job as the bad guy. (Remember his work in Lucky Number Slevin?). Jolie is tough, sexy, and unflappable. You'll find yourself cheering for McEvoy as he goes from LOSER to tough villain back to the point where he wonders how he got to where he is.

The movie is rated R for tons of violence, including frequent slow-motion bloody bullet shots to the head, language (pervasive language according to MPAA), and some sexuality. I think we got a fair shot of Jolie's butt as she was getting into the tub.

The movie is directed by Timur Bekmambetov who has brought you nothing that you ever heard of. I give this movie a 4 star rating. Good plain fun movie.

The Bucket List

The Bucket List stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in this instant geriatric classic. Nicholson, if you can believe this, plays Edward Cole, a grumpy old arrogant curmudgeon who owns a hospital and gets whatever he wants. Freeman plays Carter Chambers, a humble auto mechanic.


Coincidentally, both men are stricken with illnesses and end up in the hospital. Tests prove that they are both battling cancer. Both are admitted to the Oncology centers of Cole's hospital. Seeing a poor black man in his room, Nicholson is furious and demands a private room, only to be reminded that it was his own policy that no one get a private room and that it would be a public relations disaster to do otherwise. So now these 2 guys are stuck with each other.


Nicholson sits there all pissed off most of the time while Freeman, though not formally educated, does very intellectual things like make a bucket list of things he wished he could do before he dies. Over time, the 2 start getting along, though only cordially. Nicholson eventually gets the list and being a cocky old bastard decides that the 2 of them are going to start doing the things on the list.


The 2 break out of the hospital and start doing the things on their list - such as playing casino in Monte Carlo and race cars at a race track. Freeman's wife is getting hysterical about her husbands antics and their relationship is on the rocks.


Eventually, one of them is stricken and gets ill really fast and eventually dies. The other then decides to finish the list and do something that he should have done a long time ago. I will have to admit - when the last thing on the list is accomplished it is a very poignant moment and I got a lump in my throat - because I'm smart and I got it. You have to remember what that item was because they didn't quite come back and remind you what it was.


This movie is rated PG-13 because of Jack Nicholson's glasses that he wore in the hospital. Oh, and some language and dirty old men sexual references. The Bucket List is just over an hour and a half long. I did like it, but overall, the movie didn't send me over the edge of appreciation. I give The Bucket List 3 stars. It's definitely a movie that you can see with a lady-friend. You'll get the crude humor, she'll get the love and drama.