Review of 3:10 to Yuma

Rating: 4.5 Stars
In a phrase:
Batman vs. Gladiator, set in the Old West to make the weapons unfamiliar to both duelists
Quote:
“Careful boy, there’s a curse on that gun”
Who will like it:
Everyone should like this one, it was a great Western.
People who won’t like it:
People with the attention span of a goldfish may be unwilling to wait 105 minutes for the brilliant last 15 minutes of the film.

I don’t know too much about The Western as a historic film discipline, but of course the few films I have seen have always built up to the final confrontation at high noon, and this Western does not disappoint.
While Christian Bale is always solid (I think he was under-appreciated in The Prestige), Russell Crowe stole the scene. Of course, Bale’s character was a quiet shell of a man and Crowe played a Western Sky Masterson, so it isn’t quite a fair comparison. They were both excellent.
Most importantly, the heroes were noble and the villains evil. I always feel that I want to be drawn into a Western where I can cheer for the good guys like it’s a sports game, and this movie did not disappoint in that aspect.
The movie was solid through and through, with horses kicking up plenty of dust while six shooters fired. The only thing lacking was the soundtrack; I didn't feel drawn in by the sound the way most Westerns call out.

Review of The Terminator

Rating: 3.5 Stars
In a phrase:
The Governor of California Goes on a Murder Spree
Quote:
“I’ll be bahk”
Who will like it:
Cyborgs, Techno-phobes
Who won’t like it:
Kids these days who won’t be impressed by the old special effects

As a kid, I was not allowed to watch R-rate movies. I particularly remember my mother saying I wouldn’t be seeing Terminator. So I went in expecting something akin to The Saw. When I saw James Cameron was the director in the opening credits, my interest was even further peaked.
So I was pretty disappointed that it just turned out to be a pretty good action film. In its day, I could have given it four stars, but the special effects have not aged gracefully. The final dramatic chase by the terminator actually made me giggle.
Time travel movies always rub me the wrong way, but I actually didn't mind it too much in this one. There was too much action to really stop and think, which I think was its ultimate downfall.

Review of The Devil’s Advocate

Rating: 4 Stars

In a phrase: Al Pacino gives a 5 star performance while Keanu Reeves painfully attempts to act and use a southern accent.
Quote: “The twentieth century was undoubtedly mine”
Who will like it:
Me, People who like movies that make you think
People who won’t like it:
Southerners angry at their poor portrayal, Satan because Al Pacino put him to shame

The Devil’s Advocate is an awesome film that provides deep thinking in the same way as the old episodes of the Twilight Zone. A successful Southern defense lawyer (Keanu Reeves) is called to New York by a big time law firm run by John Milton (Al Pacino) to work in the big city. Reeves becomes consumed by his own vanity, and neglects his loving wife (What’s her face)
I hope I’m not revealing too much by saying that Al truly is Satan. He hints at it cleverly throughout the film. What is so beautiful is how he never actually forces anyone to sin. He doesn’t even entrap them. When he first introduces Reeves to the lavish law firm, he explains that it is their policy to “kill ‘em with kindness.” He later proclaims that he is greater than god, as he accepts man as he truly is. So many people who later realize how he has used them always marvel at what a good listener he was.
So with the thought provoking moral messages, why the four stars (frankly, I want to sink to three and a half, but this movie makes my top 20 favorites list and I would look kinda dumb with a three and a half star movie on there)? Keanu Reeves. He sucked throughout the movie, with a lousy accent and a lack of emotion in his voice and actions. If I could go back and recast one character in one movie in history, it would be that role. Yes, that is even considering The Phantom in the most recent Phantom of the Opera film and Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars films. That’s how TERRIBLE Keanu was.
But like I said, this movie’s plot and writing are top notch at all other points, and I highly recommend that you check it out.
Joel Schumacher was originally set to direct the film in 1994 with Brad Pitt to star as Kevin Lomax (Keanu's character). Taylor Hackford (the actual director) apparently thought the movie needed to be a little more gnarly.

Review of Assassins

Rating: 1.5 Stars

In a phrase: What went wrong?
Quote: “Cuidado con las armas…”
Who will like it:
Zombie victims lacking brains
Who won’t like it:
People expecting a movie with a plot more interesting than The Italian Job

I take no joy in having to give this movie two thumbs way down. On paper, this looks like a winner of a blockbuster. Each of these actors have been great in some of my favorite movies: Sylvester Stalone (Rocky, Demolition Man), Antonio Banderas (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Shrek 2), and Julianne Moore (Hannibal). When I saw the previews on TNT, I got excited (albeit was leery of the caliber of films that make it to late night TNT).
So what went wrong? Well, with a name like Assassins, I was certainly expecting a little more action. All of the action sequences were flat with the possible exception of the final confrontation, which went on for way too long.
The whole movie is spent going back to bigger and bigger chunks of the same flashback that we already know the punchline of, because Banderas magically divines it from a 30 second conversation with Stalone a mere 10 minutes into the movie.
There is not a single plot twist that isn’t clearly visible for miles/ The characters are largely uninteresting with the exception of Banderas’s psychotic hitman, that really saved this movie from getting only one star.
This one isn’t even worth watching on TNT.
Sylvester Stalone was nominated for a Razzie for worst actor in this film. This stung, coming after the previous year's nomination for Judge Dredd.