The Lincoln Lawyer

Matthew McConaughey is Mick Haller; a slick lawyer who only cares about where his next pay check is coming from and regularly defends accused criminals.  His methods are unorthodox and he conducts his business from the back of his chauffeured Lincoln.

But the big pay day is on the horizon when one of his friends comes to him with a case that potentially could bring him in a lot of money; a rich kid, Louis, (Ryan Phillippe) is accused of beating up a prostitute.  An accusation which the kid denies and claims he’s innocent; a detail of no interest to Mick.  All Mick is interested in is the financial reward if he wins the case.  The case though isn’t as straight forward as it seems and when it takes a personal turn, Mick finds himself facing more than he bargained for.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a thriller based on the bestselling book by Michael Connelly and director Brad Furman does a good job of bringing the story to the big screen.  It is filled with action, twists and good dialogue and the actors deliver star performances.  Particularly McConaughey who arguably delivers his best performance yet and is reminiscent to his earlier work in ‘A Time To Kill’.

Battle: Los Angeles

Once again, the world is being invaded and the human species is facing the threat of being exterminated.

It begins when a swarm of meteors hits Earth at a variety of locations and lands in the sea just off twenty of the planets major cities.  But these meteors aren’t what they seem and it isn’t long before extra-terrestrial life starts emerging from the waters.  Their objective; to destroy all human life and take our planet.

With the world at war, Sgt Michael Nants (Aaron Eckhart) is given the responsibility of leading a troop of marines into the warzone that is Los Angeles with the mission of trying to save those that need saving.  A group of civilians are hiding at a police station and it is up to them to go into enemy held territory and rescue them before the Air Force strike the area.

A glance at the trailers would really tell you all you need to know about Battle: Los Angeles and give you an idea if it’s for you or not.  It doesn’t have any deep or any real storyline within it and the action isn’t as fast paced as you would have imagined but there is enough of it to enjoy and the movie offers great visual effects.  It reminded me at times of watching somebody play the video game ‘Call of Duty’ and it’s probably those game players who will like Battle: Los Angeles the most.

Hall Pass

Midlife crisis hits in the Farrelly brother’s latest movie, Hall Pass, which stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis.

Forty somethings Rick (Wilson) and Fred (Sudeikis) are married and living the suburban typical life but their growing tired of it and wondering where their youth went.  They’re not the only ones getting tired as their wives are getting irritated by their lack of commitment to them and their lives.  So, (as if this would ever happen), they offer their husbands a week off from their lives, their families, their responsibilities and them.  A hall pass.  A pass that allows them to do whatever they want for one week without their knowledge and no questions asked.  They don’t dwell on their offer for long before accepting it.

I find these type of movies run along a fine line where they can be brilliant, such as The Hangover, Wedding Crashers and American Pie, or they can be just too much and too over the top, such as Hall Pass.  The idea behind the movie is good because Rick and Fred are typical true to life guys who have reached a point in their lives where they feel unappreciated and undesired but the jokes supporting the story are crude and oversexed.  In saying that, that’s not saying it doesn’t have its enjoyable moments and it will have its market; appealing to anybody who is under 18 and also any guy who wishes his other half would offer him a similar pass.

Fair Game

Sean Penn and Naomi Watts star in this political thriller that is based on a true story of actions that took place eight years ago.

Valerie Palme (Watts) works for the CIA but when her husband, Joe Wilson (Penn), writes a damning article regarding the Bush administration and their war in Iraq, the government get retribution by leaking her identity which attracts a lot of unwanted attention for Valerie and discrediting her husband.  The lives of her co-operatives are put at risk, her career is destroyed and her family is hounded by the media.  Armed only with the truth, Joe and Valerie fight back against the government and feel the strain on their lives and marriage as they attempt to bring those at the White House to court and clear their names.

The fact that it’s a true story is gripping and Penn and Watts do an excellent job in conveying the heart and frustration of the story to us.  It is well written but takes a while before it ever really gets going and thriller wouldn’t be the best word to describe Fair Game as it goes at a steady pace throughout.

The Adjustment Bureau

We live in a predetermined world where we have no control over our own fates and our destinies are mapped out.  If we fall off these paths, then there are those whose job it is to make sure we get back on track.  This is what happens when David Norris (Matt Damon), an up and coming politician meets ballet dancer Elise (Emily Blunt).  Despite there being an instant connection between the two, they were never meant to be together and it isn’t long before their relationship brings the truth of the world they live in to the front and The Adjusters intervene.

The Adjustment Bureau runs along a similar idea to the Matrix where our lives are not our own and not everything is as it seems.  This movie makes you think outside the box and keeps you gripped.  There is a romantic story imbedded within the sci-fi story which helps to keep the movie grounded and is made believable with a convincing performance from both Damon and Blunt.  Definitely worth seeing.

Rango

Johnny Depp has given us memorable characters such as Captain Jack Sparrow, Sweeney Todd and now follows them up with a brilliant performance as Rango.  Rango is a lizard who is used to the life of luxury within his tank but has to face up to hard times when his life of a sheltered pet chameleon accidently comes to an end when he falls out of his tank on a highway and finds himself stranded in Dirt.  A town in the Wild West.

Pampered but not entirely useless, Rango fortuitously manages to defeat the feared hawk that has been terrorising the town and it lands him the job as sheriff.  Relishing the role, the actor in him rises to the occasion and he embellishes his role by pretending to be a feared gunfighter.  But it’s not long before it all goes awry when the town turns to him to sort out their water problems and an adversary in the shape of a land baron forms.

Rango is a good fun animation with plenty of humour and a good but simple plot that everybody can follow.  Despite not being on screen himself, Johnny Depp makes the character his own and his timing is perfect.  Adults will certainly take more out of Rango than children will and parents be warned, there is a darker element to Rango than most animations and characters do perish.