Well Every Wednesday I will have three movies you should either watch if you get the time (The Good), run away from if your smart (The Bad), and skip work, family function or child’s soccer game to DEFINITELY go see (The Ugly, I know…you thought it meant horrible, but it doesn’t, it means ugly, as in good, like bad or phat.) So, on with the show…
The Good: No Country for Old Men
An ordinary man stumbles across a ring of corpses surrounding a fortune in cash and a mountain of heroin. A bad man follows in search of the money; a good man follows in search of the man. This is the set-up for the newest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men — an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, and a brilliant example of how plot devices as simple as murder and money can be used to explore larger sweeping themes of mortality, morality and more — while still delivering rousing, intelligent pure entertainment. I didn’t look anywhere else but the screen for the whole 2 hours. and I have massive ADD so that’s saying a lot.
The Bad: Rendition
“Rendition” is overheated claptrap that takes an issue of vital national importance and turns it into an inept cartoon that emboldens the worst instincts in our national character.
The film deals with a Chicago woman (Reese Witherspoon) whose Egyptian-born husband (Omar Metwally) gets swept up by the CIA in a terror investigation and carted off to North Africa, where the local cops torture him and a CIA man (Jake Gyllenhaal) experiences pangs of conscience while looking on passively. Jake is weird and awkward to say the least, Peter Sarsgaard is kinda whiny and creepy and Reese can do no wrong and is the only thing that saves this pile of poo.
The Ugly: 3:10 to Yuma
A remake of a 1957 film starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, the 2007 version of 3:10 To Yuma juxtaposes fierce Western action with film-noir interludes. A wry Russell Crowe plays captured outlaw ringleader Ben Wade. Christian Bale is the earnest rancher who helps bring Wade to the train that will carry him to prison.
In a frequently action-filled two hours, 3:10 To Yuma’s revitalizes such western staples as the stagecoach attack, Indian ambush and land-grabbing for the oncoming railroad. It’s an attention-holding ride through rough country of both the physical and spiritual kind.
This film has brains, lots of brawn, and amazing chops of the acting kind. Christian Bale is at his best in this film and to say the least, Russell Crow didn’t bother as much as normal. He actually held my attention and now my respect.
Popularity: 2%
