Monday, December 15, 2008

Taken

I'd never heard of this movie. I was surprised to see Liam Neeson in it. He plays a retired CIA operative whose daughter gets kidnapped while she's in France. He goes to Paris to find her and get her back home.

It's a very suspenseful action movie. My wife and I were both intensely involved all the way through. What happens when some bad people abduct the daughter of a very serious ex-spy? Turns out it's exactly what you would think might happen.

This movie reminded me of several others, most closely Man on Fire. which means it's not that original. But unoriginality is forgivable if the movie is good. If you enjoyed these types of movies, you'll really like this one.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Speed Racer (2008)

I had really low expectations when I started watching this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was campy, and fun. It made me smile in several places. The special effects were very cool.

What I found most impressive was the compositing and editing of the different scenes. They used this device a few times that I really enjoyed. to cut from one scene to another, they would "wipe" a talking head across the screen. It had the effect of keeping the action nonstop while transitioning to a different point of view.

Not the best movie in the world; but it was still enjoyable.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Letters from Iwo Jima

I enjoyed this movie more than Flags of Our Fathers. It just had more action, drama, and likable characters. It was a real touching movie done really well. It's subtitled in English; but I recommend it even if that's not your thing.