Casting Rumor Breakdown

First off, apologies to my (few but awesome) readers for my lengthy hiatus from the blog. Life is moving quickly as I'll be starting a new job soon. Packing isn't fun, and it's made even harder when I just plain stop, and end up watching the original Star Wars trilogy with my wife instead. (I never noticed in the late 90's re-edited versions, they completely changed how the Sarlaac pit looks. Totally unnecessary, but I digress...)

I'd like to take some time to address some of the confirmed and rumored casting calls for some upcoming movies, mainly super hero related. Read on, because I have a lot to say about this whole Ben Affleck thing, but I'll save that for last.

RUMOR: Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic in the upcoming reboot of "Fantastic Four"
Ever heard of this guy? Yeah, me neither. But I like to keep an open mind, so I did some research. This kid's film history is pretty bland. From "Project X" to the remake of "Footloose", I'm pretty unimpressed by that track record. That said, he's pretty young, so things could change, but for the moment, pretty meh.

As far as matching the character, I call folly. Just from the picture below, and if you're a comic book fan you'll know, Mr. Fantastic is older. The reboot is looking more and more like a younger version of the Fantastic Four, which I'm not a huge fan of. Give this guy 10 or 15 years and he may be able to pull off the look, but right now....eeeeeh.


RUMOR: Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm in the same "Fantastic Four" reboot

HOLD UP. I apologize in advance, because I am not in any way shape or form trying to make this a racist thing, but Johnny Storm is WHITE! It's a huge part of the comics that his sister is Sue Storm. So in order for this casting choice to make sense, they'd have to make Sue Storm black as well. AGAIN, NOT BEING RACIST HERE, it just annoys me because then you're completely changing the characters to something totally different. Then don't title it Fantastic Four, because that's not who it'd be about! Jordan was in the recent super hero movie "Chronicle" which did pretty well with it's gritty super hero style, and if they cast it based on that alone, then just make "Chronicle 2" and pick someone actually suited for the role.

Let's flip this around for a moment. What if they made a movie about Luke Cage, but made him a white guy? The dynamic of the character, and even their back story, is forever changed, and fanboys likely will not be happy. I disapprove of this choice.



RUMOR: Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon in "Guardians of the Galaxy"For those of you who may be unaware of the Guardians of the Galaxy, (first off, see my Comic-Con news round-up) long story short: they're the Space-Avengers. Rocket Raccoon is pretty much the smart-mouthed, machine gun wielding mascot. Choice of voice actor may not be critical, but the director has stressed that for the success of this movie, Rocket Raccoon has to be done right.

Bradley Cooper (The Hangover, All About Steve) is one of Hollywood's most recent prettyboy actors. So for him to take an off-camera role is an interesting turn that quite honestly would boost my respect for him as an actor. On that note, let's take a look at his chops as a voice actor. If I heard him talking on TV while I wasn't looking, I may be able to pick out who it is, but that's just because I've watched The Hangover a lot. Short of that, he doesn't have tons of experience with off-camera acting, so the casting here seems like more of a "name-drop" scenario. I'll reserve final judgement until I can hear it, but I think he'll do alright. Not great, just alright.



CONFIRMED: Vin Diesel as Groot in "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Next to Rocket Raccoon in the Space-Avengers, we have Groot, the living tree. Basically an Ent (from Lord of the Rings) if they were aliens. So as a gigantic living tree, I approve of this choice of voice actor. Using the example that I did with Bradley Cooper, if I were listening but not watching TV, I'd easily be able to pick out Vin's voice. He's got a unique, full-bodied deep voice that will lend itself very well to Groot. Not much else to say about it, I think he'll do well.



CONFIRMED: Ben Affleck as Batman in "Man of Steel 2" (or Batman vs Superman)
Alright, buckle up, because I'm about to go on a roller-coaster rant here. I promise I'll try for a few positive remarks in there, but overall, I'm feeling extremely negative about this casting choice.

Director Zack Snyder did a wonderful job with the recent Superman reboot, "Man of Steel." It took the long-standing boy scout in a new, and awesome darker direction. Because this movie is effectively considered the "Iron Man" of the DC Comics movie universe (it's kind of the kick off of the eventual Justice League movie), I'm already happy that they did not have Christian Bale reprise his role as the Dark Knight. That said, I was much more excited about the previously rumored actors for Batman before they announced Ben Affleck.

A lot of people/fanboys have been saying, "Everyone said the same thing about Heath Ledger, and look how well that was in The Dark Knight!" This is a fair point. There was an equally strong backlash when he was announced as Joker. But on the flip side, Heath Ledger wasn't in Daredevil. I understand that Ben Affleck didn't write or direct "Daredevil", so most people are saying the movie was "not his fault." But I thoroughly believe that a good actor can thrive despite poor writing. Affleck did not do this in Daredevil. People say he's such a good actor, but I feel like whatever he's in, he tries too hard. This is an extreme, but take for example "Good Will Hunting". Matt Damon and Robin Williams were amazing, but both Ben and Casey Affleck were very unbelievable to me. We get it, you're from New York, or Boston, or wherever. If that's your only schtick, move along and make way for better actors.

Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Much Ado About Nothing) had this to say about himself, and I feel it applies well to Ben Affleck as well: "I feel I'd make a great Bruce Wayne, [but a] terrible Batman." Anyone can play the billionaire playboy, but not everyone has the chops to pull off Bruce Wayne's darker half. To quote Star Wars: I have a bad feeling about this.



*UPDATE* 08/27/13
RUMOR: Bryan Cranston cast as Lex Luthor in "Man of Steel 2

"I'm going to begin with a startling confession: I'm one of the few people in America who doesn't religiously watch Breaking Bad. But before you string me up and drag me through the streets, let me say this much: I've seen enough of his character to know that he can move beyond being "Malcolm in the Middle's dad" and be a hard-ass bald guy, which in essence is all that Lex Luthor is. The most recent casting of Luthor, portrayed by Kevin Spacey, did an alright job as a pissed off bald guy. But the real trick to portraying Lex Luthor is not just being angry and having hair issues, he has to be the ultimate bad human being.

The beauty of the Lex Luthor vs Superman rivalry is that Lex is the ultimate normal human being. Just like the Joker vs Batman: Joker is nothing but color and energy, and Batman is dark, gray and black, and brooding. As long as Cranston can pull off the "ultimate normal guy" aspect of it, while throwing in some unbridled rage, he'll do just fine. Hope he loses the goatee though, or it'll just be Superman vs Breaking Bad.




*UPDATE* 08/29/13
CONFIRMED: James Spader as Ultron in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
With voice actors, it can be pretty hit-or-miss when casts are announced. As discussed above, some actors such as Bradley Cooper may not be that distinguishable, whereas others like Vin Diesel may do a more remarkable or memorable job. James Spader (Boston Legal, The Office, Lincoln) to me falls in the latter category. I feel his voice is distinguishable enough that no matter who he voiced, he'll at least give the character more...well, more character. 

My first encounter with Spader was on one of the later seasons of The Office. It took me a while to warm up to his abrasive character type, but his smooth, quietly powerful voice was an interestingly entertaining part of his character. The character he'll be playing (for those of you who may not know), Ultron, is a killer robot with an artificial intelligence that has the ability to evolve itself to overcome his opponents. The character is smart, cold, and calculated. I haven't had an enormous amount of exposure to Spader's acting, but I'm not too worried about this choice. I'm kind of biased since it is a Joss Whedon movie, but either way, not a bad choice.

  

Comic-Con 2013 Special part 2

Apologies for the delay, folks. I've been a wee bit busy lately. But today we'll be finishing up the post-Comic-Con roundup! So let's hop to it.

X-Men: Days of Future Past
Director Bryan Singer (director of the first X-Men movie) returns for this mash-up of both the original 3 X-Men movies, and X-Men: First Class. The time-travel plot matches young and old versions of your favorite X-men, and is being compared in scale to that of The Avengers. This movie boasts a very big name cast, with newcomers to the series including Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) meeting up with series vets including Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. We'll have to wait until next summer to see if it can live up to the hype, but so far the teasers have definitely pumped up fans.




My take: I'm very excited to see veteran director Bryan Singer's return to the X-Men series. After he left to pursue other films, the original X-Men movies fell to crap. Hopefully he can return them to their former glory!



The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Here we go again, the fifth Spider-Man movie in the past 13 years. Marc Webb returns to direct after the successful reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man, this time bringing multiple villains to the table. As of yet, we've seen glimpses of Electro (Jaime Foxx), and slight teases of Rhino (Paul Giamatti), and we've also heard that Green Goblin will appear as well. Comic-Con was the site of the first finished footage of the movie, with a teaser trailer coming soon. The movie will be releasing next summer, along with at least 3 other Marvel Comics movies.

My take: With so many super hero movies coming out next year, it'll be difficult to separate itself from the pack. I was very skeptical about the choice of Jaime Foxx for the villain, but so far it looks pretty good. I am a huge fan of the first Amazing Spider-Man, and have high, but hesitant, hopes for this sequel.



Oldboy
Based on the 2003 Korean film of the same name, Oldboy tells the story of a man who is kidnapped for 15 years and kept in solitary confinement with no knowledge of who his captors are. After he's suddenly released, he begins a vengance-driven quest to find out who captured him, and why. This American remake stars Josh Brolin in the main role, and follows the same plot.

My take: Its a bit soon to remake this movie if you ask me, and it shows that Hollywood is truly out of any and all original ideas. That said, I'm a big fan of Josh Brolin's acting, and given that the original Korean movie was very grotesque in terms of gratuitous nudity and unnecessarily risque scenes, I'm hoping the American version will be toned down a bit.



Kick Ass 2
After the overly-grotesque Kick-Ass movie, the cast returns in this "what if people roamed the streets as 'super-heroes'" plot. In the sequel, the cast expands exponentially, including Jim Carey (The Mask, Truman Show), and Donald Faison (Scrubs) leading to another gory, over-the-top mess.

My take: I know the series is based off of comic books, but I still feel that they're trying a little too hard. With the main villain in this sequel being a gimp-costumed character calling himself "The Mother-F***er", I feel that the movie is probably going to try way too hard, and result in a sub-par action movie.



Godzilla
The unkillable gigantic lizard is back with yet another reboot from yet another director. Don't worry though, we'll be steering clear of the Americanized, Matthew Broderick-starred crap fest. This Godzilla remake is an all-out homage to the original, but with the benefit of cutting-edge, modern day special effects. As of the time of this writing, they have yet to reveal the look of the new monster, which has been described as a mix between the classic Godzilla, and the 2000 American version.

My take: I'm very excited to see what modern technology can do for the iconic monster! Movies like Cloverfield have come close, but I think they can do better without the sickeningly shaky camera. If the poster below gives any indication, Godzilla is going to be gigantic, and I can't wait!



Riddick
Vin Diesel returns as the futuristic criminal Riddick. Original director David Twohy is back as writer and director. If you haven't seen "Pitch Black" or "Chronicles of Riddick", you probably aren't aware of this movie, but the stealthy action is nevertheless a fun time for those of you who enjoy futuristic action.

My take: I'm not the biggest Riddick fan, the first movie is a little too "survival-horror"ish for me. But those who like them seem to love them. Vin Diesel has a lot of talent, so I may give it a shot, but for the moment, I'm a bit meh.



Lego: The Movie
Well, it was inevitable. Every childhood toy lately seems to be getting the Hollywood reacharound, and Lego is no exception. (If you don't believe me, keep your eyes out for the incoming Stretch Armstrong and Max Steel movies) The good news is that with a huge cast (Channing Tatum, Cobie Smulders, Jonah Hill, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Banks), and seemingly endless Lego cameos (including Ninja Turtles, Batman, Wonder Woman, basketball stars, and many more), this movie aims to draw in adults and children alike.

My take: Frankly, I can't wait! The trailer (if you haven't seen it yet, check it out here) looks hilarious, and the star-studded cast of actors who have proven their mettle in voice acting definitely won't disappoint!



Dawn of the Planet of the ApesRounding out the Comic-Con preview-palooza, we have the sequel to 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." The series takes a much more realistic approach than the 70's movies, or even the 2001 Mark Whalberg flop. Gary Oldman leads the cast as humanity deals with the aftermath of the ape plague.

My take: ....zzzzzz....wuh? Oh right. This series again. Personally I say pass, simply because I can't take killer monkeys seriously. I may be wrong, but that's just me.

Comic-Con 2013 Special part 1.5

In recent years, many people have been complaining about Hollywood's lack of originality, and how too many comic book adaptation movies are popping up. For a long time, I've agreed whole-heartedly. But recently, it seems as though a breath of fresh air is filling the lungs of the comic book movie industry.

With Comic-Con 2013 freshly behind us, we have seen the dawn of a large number of new movie ideas, rumors, and news, both for in-production films, and those way off in the distance. (Amazing Spider-Man 4 already? C'mon, we're at 2 right now...) Some made me cringe with uncertainty, while others seemed like a bold risk that could yield great results.

The truth is, with the release of The Avengers, Director Joss Whedon inadvertently opened the floodgates of big-budget collaborations, and character mash-ups. To face facts, some are bound to suck. And with the bar set so high, it'll be hard to break out of the pack and be a truly unique and impressive film in the super hero genre.

Titles like the upcoming Batman/Superman movie, the (forever) rumored Justice League, and the hyped up X-Men: Days of Future Past (the scale/budget of which director Bryan Singer is comparing to that of The Avengers) are taking super hero movies into a realm seldom touched until now. No longer are super hero movies just trying to break onto the big screen, instead they're expanding on now built up back stories. They're past the origins, and even reboots such as the latest Hulk and Superman movies tend to glaze over the origins of the heroes, in favor of driving a stronger plot.

I for one am excited by this new "second renaissance" of super hero movies. In recent years it seems that they'd begun to grow stale and overdone. But with the coming of crossover movies, and hero team-ups, we're heading into a direction with a lot of potential. Whether this is good or bad has yet to be seen.

Comic-Con 2013 Special part 1

Well folks, its the most wonderful time of the year. That's right, its time for Comic-Con 2013! And while not everyone is terribly into comics, over the years CC has become synonymous with new movie releases and previews.

Today I'm going to be going over some of the big reveals, previews, and more of the coming attractions for the next few years.

Batman/Superman
In a huge twist that no one saw coming, the DC Comics presentation revealed that due to the success of Man of Steel, they'll be going forward with a sequel co-starring the Dark Knight himself! Don't be expecting Christian Bale to don the cowl again, but it has been confirmed that Zack Snyder (director of Man of Steel) will be involved, as well as Henry Cavill (Man of Steel). Not a whole lot has been revealed for this movie, except for a logo combining the iconic images of Batman and Superman.




 
The Avengers: Age of Ultron
It was no surprise that Marvel was moving forward with a sequel to the high-grossing Avengers movie, but at Comic-Con, director Joss Whedon revealed the title and (potential) plot for the sequel. Marvel Comics recently finished a series of the same title, Age of Ultron, in which Ultron, an artificial intelligence created by Dr. Henry Pym (Ant Man) becomes too intelligent, and decides to exterminate the human race. The teaser video shown at Comic-Con displays a quick image of Ultron's face in eerie lighting. New Avengers confirmed so far for this movie include Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, and Joss Whedon has hinted that he wants to include Tigra as well. The involvement of Ultron seems to hint that Ant Man may play a big role in the phase 2 universe.



The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Coming to theaters November 22 of this year, the second installment of The Hunger Games trilogy showed a trailer, teasing the coming chaos in the dystopian future. The entire cast returns, but not much new was revealed about the movie during Comic-Con.

Robocop
Starring Joel Kinnaman (Safe House, The Darkest Hour), Samuel L Jackson (The Avengers, Pulp Fiction), and Gary Oldman (The Fifth Element, The Dark Knight trilogy), this is a reboot of the 80's action series about a cop-turned-cyborg-super-cop who cleans up the streets of New Detroit. Mixed reactions are coming from old fans about Robocop's new all black armor look, but Comic-Con revealed some new footage of the new reboot, which elicited a roughly 50/50 reaction of ooos and aaahs versus meh's. I'll save my judgement for when the footage hits the internet, but I remain cautiously optimistic.



Thor: The Dark World
 Aside from some new concept art, and a slew of action figures, not much new was revealed about the Thor sequel set to release later this year. Christopher Eccleson (Doctor Who) is set to play the dark elf villain who seeks to bring the god of thunder to his knees. The majority of the cast returns, though some minor casting changes have been made, such as Zachary Levi replacing the role of Fandral, one of Thor's battle friends.



Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 The Star-Spangled Super Soldier is back in modern-day, trying to figure out where he fits in after the ending of The Avengers. The Winter Soldier refers to a Cap villain with a bionic arm who ****SPOILER ALERT**** is actually Cap's old war buddy, Bucky. Comic-Con revealed some more new artwork, and a bit of initial footage from the movie. Cap will be back on the big screen April 4, 2014.



Guardians of the Galaxy
 Somewhat of a surprise announcement at last year's CC was the movie adaptation of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Think of it as The Avengers in space. The cast includes a raccoon with a gigantic gun, and a tree-like alien. This year's Comic Con showed the first footage from the movie, setting the tone for an action-comedy vibe similar to Whedon's Avengers.



I, Frankenstein
 From what has been revealed so far, I Frankenstein is your average gritty monster movie. Starring Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), the first footage was shown at Comic Con to very passable reactions. Hopefully more information in the future will bolster interest, but for now the reviews are largely stale.



NEXT TIME:
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Oldboy
Kick Ass 2
Godzilla
Riddick
Lego: The Movie

The Decoy Bride

The Decoy Bride (2011)
Rated PG

Starring: David Tennant, Kelly Macdonald, Alice Eve, Dylan Moran

If you liked: Runaway Bride, Something Borrowed, Any highly predictable romantic comedy

The Story: A famous American movie star (Eve) and a famous British author (Tennant) are trying to avoid the media frenzy, and have a quiet and unpublicized wedding. To achieve this, they find the most remote location possible, and even go as far as performing a fake ceremony to get the media off their back. Hiring a local to be a stand-in for the "fake" wedding, but the sparks start to become real...

The Good: I'm gonna be honest, I'm a big David Tennant (Doctor Who, Harry Potter) fan. The guy is very good at playing the lovable, fault-less good guy. So I was very excited to see this movie when I heard he was in it. The man does not disappoint! Tennant is very convincing, as is his costar, played by Kelly Macdonald.

The supporting cast is largely strong in terms of backing up the main cast, which helps keep the story engaging for sure. The story is definitely a predictable, cookie-cutter romance, but it has a lot of heart, sass, and humor that sets itself apart from many similar movies. On top of that, the setting of the movie is gorgeous, especially on a high def television.

He's a fancy lad.

The Bad: While most of the characters were very engrossing, I found myself unconvinced by the acting of Alice Eve, especially considering she's supposed to play a famous actress. That's just....wrong! One weak link can definitely break a movie, and she certainly doesn't help. Moving to the GOOD actors: the supporting cast is great, but some of them are relatively big names who are only in maybe two scenes. I felt that these folks could definitely developed into a more engrossing side-story given enough time.

I'm getting nit-picky here, because this is a cookie-cutter romantic comedy, but at the same time, this is a cookie-cutter romantic comedy. In terms of originality, there isn't a whole lot here, and within five minutes, any casual movie-goer will be able to call the ending. Either way, its worth a view if you have Netflix.

Verdict: 6.5 out of 10
Good, not perfect. Could be worse, but not super original. Give it a shot if you're into fun, corny romance movies.

Man Of Steel

Man Of Steel (2013)
Rated PG-13

If you liked: The Dark Knight trilogy, The Avengers, Green Lantern

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner, Christopher Meloni, Lawrence Fishburne, Harry Lennix

Premise: Time for another gritty reboot! Director Zach Snyder (300, Sin City) and producer Christopher Nolan (Inception, Dark Knight trilogy) team up to take Superman in a very different direction than that of the classic Christopher Reeve adventures. Prepare for a dark origin story filled with a very big name cast with a lot of talent.

I'll say this right out: Walk into this movie with a healthy dose of willing suspension of disbelief. What I mean here is don't sit there going "Oh that could never happen. Oh that's stupid. Come on, that's not real!" Just enjoy it for what it is: a new movie of an age-old superhero.

The Heroic: We'll start with a pretty easy comparison: Watch Superman Returns (Bryan Singer's shoddy 2006 reboot), then watch Man of Steel. In this situation, you've got a gold star winner. Henry Cavill knocks the role of Krypton's last son out of the ballpark! But the big surprise to me was the solid performances by Cal El's supporting players. Kevin Costner gives a great performance as the Man of Steel's earthly pappy, Russel Crowe nails it as Jor El, Superman's birth father, even Lawrence Fishburne gives a solid go at one of the smaller roles in the movie as the editor of the Daily Planet.

But what really hooked me in was Michael Shannon's fantastic performance as Superman's enemy, General Zod. I had never heard of Shannon before this movie, but he plays the part very well, resulting in a rage-filled, hateful character that I had a hard time feeling bad for!

The story was solid, telling Clark Kent's backstory through a series of (sometimes unnecessary) flashbacks to his childhood. But of the whole movie, I have to say my favorite was the opening 20 minutes, portraying Snyder's vision of Superman's home planet, Krypton. No spoilers, but it sets the tone for a powerful movie.

Let's keep this PG-13 here...

The Villainous:  Amy Adams. There, I said it. Playing the role of Clark's love interest, Lois Lane, I didn't buy her part for a second. With a different actress in the shoes of this character, I feel like the movie would have been a solid gold winner. But as it stands, I think she needs to stick with playing Disney princesses, and take a break from the comic book movie realm. Amy, you have many talents, but cursing on camera is not one of them. Go back to PG movies, potty-mouth.

Another beef I had was the amount of flashbacks, and their placement in the movie. I think its a great way to tell the backstory without having to re-hash the origin over and over, but cutting these segments down could have cut this movie from a needlessly long two and a half hours, down to a more easily digestible two hour movie.

(potential spoiler ahead)

Finally, and I hate to say it, but seriously... Lois Lane is freaking indestructible!! I swear they put that woman through more dangerous situations than Superman himself! A small beef, but still took me out of the movie a bit.

Score: 8 out of 10
A great first outing for the new Superman, crippled only by a small dose of shaky acting, and some unnecessary length.

"Let's all go to the loooooobby!"

Wasabi

So yeah...adaptation movies. Books, comics, video games, or even TV shows made into movies. Typically, it seems safe to assume that 99% of them are going to suck. So if they're based on such successful existing properties, why are they so bad? Well I think each one has its own reason that it sucks.

Books are pretty easy to determine. When you read a book, you have your own vision of the characters, how they sound, and what they look like. Movies take that image in your head, and kick it in the crotch.

Comics are typically done well, mostly nowadays, but they largely fail due to poor director/actor choices. I love comics, but the movie adaptations are past their prime and need to stop for a while.

Video games make great movies...PAAAHAHAH! Sorry, couldn't do that with a straight face. I haven't seen an honestly great video game movie yet. There are too many fans to please, and not enough good writers to do it.

TV shows serve their own purpose. You don't need movies of them. There are some rare exceptions (Serenity), but they're largely just pointless, therefore not well received.

Alright, on to the good stuff!


Wasabi (2001)
Rated R

Starring: Jean Reno, Ryoko Hirosue, Michael Muller

If you liked: The Fifth Element, The Professional, The Transporter

Synopsis: A French police officer (Reno) takes a few months off after a mistake on the job. Traveling to Japan, the home of his ex-wife who left him very suddenly, he meets up with a former colleague (Muller) and a young girl (Hirosue) whose connection leads him down the road to finding out why his wife left him.

The Spicy: Okay, I'm gonna start out by being totally honest: This movie is better with subtitles. Its in French, and when its not French, they speak Japanese. Please don't let that turn you off yet! For those of you who know, Jean Reno is a very talented French action/drama star. You may have seen him in the 2000 remake of Godzilla, or in the film adaptation of The DaVinci Code. Basically any American movie that needs a French military or cop-type guy, they pick Jean Reno. His acting lends itself very well to the part, however, and this movie is no exception. His personality, no matter his role, tends to be very soft, and his characters are usually very likeable. Wasabi is no exception, as Reno shines in the starring role. A pleasant and varied supporting cast definitely helps keep you invested in the story.

Just as necessary as a stellar cast is a solid director, and good writing. Luc Besson (Director, The Fifth Element) lends his pen to this movie bringing to life a great story, touching characters with rich backgrounds, and solid and believable smalltalk between characters at all times.

The Sour: Even though this movie kept me invested, I still tend not to be the biggest fan of subtitles. This is a personal thing, and if you can put up with them, the movie is great. But if you have a tough time focusing on the ongoing visuals while trying to follow the dialogue, you may want to give in and switch the audio.

It can also be a bit hard to classify, and it likes to jump genres throughout. The beginning seems to be a bit more dramatic, the middle fits closer to a heartwarming comedy, and the finale takes a sharp turn in the unrealistic action direction. Each segment is great, but it can feel a bit bouncy.

The Bottom Line: Its not your typical action, or comedy. But its good. It is unique in a way that probably didn't garner it much attention, but it deserved better than it got. Give it a shot if you're looking for a fun action movie that still holds a good plot.

I give it 6.5 sushi rolls out of 10

Oh this guy is in it too. Hot, right?