An effective twist on some familiar ghost story elements. I liked Annabel’s arc. Not the usual good vs evil dynamic. And definitely not a welcome-back-to-the-sunshine ending.

FF=2

A very good, if not original, action film. Once you suspend disbelief about the White House being taken so quickly (it couldn’t be that easy, could it?) and the apparent fact that Secret Service men have not been taught to take cover but instead to stand in the open and return assault-rifle fire with side arms, it becomes Die Hard at the White House, sans the wise cracks and the interesting villains. (See the White House Down review for a comparison.)

FF=2

If you like bleak films and characters with no hope of redemption (and no desire for it), this remake of the first of a Danish trilogy is for you. I like dark, but this went a little too far into the black for my taste. I found it depressing (probably the filmmaker’s intent) and frustrating (probably not).

FF=2

An okay diversion with a lot of familiar CIA-thriller elements (think Bourne and Taken films). But Olga Kurylenko has never been more beautiful.

FF=2

Well done but hurt by the familiarity of possession / exorcism and the inevitable comparison to The Exorcist. Also hurt by the moving-into-a-house-where-bad-things-happened cliché, which gives the viewers an explanation for what they’re seeing. The Exorcist offers no such rationale – what happened to that little girl was beyond reason, and therefore (at least to me) far more disturbing and frightening.

FF=2

The title character seems to hold true to how I remember him from the REH stories (been a long time), and certainly resembles the Jeffrey Jones paintings in the Donald Grant collection, RED SHADOWS, but I was struck by a passel of apparent anachronisms. Kane was a 17th century Puritan but he appears to be wandering through a Dark Ages milieu. It’s basically a sword-and-sorcery story but the screenplay seems more intelligent than most of its ilk. James Purefoy is good as Kane, and Max von Sydow has a talky but pivotal role. Worth a look.

FF=2

I’m always curious as to how groups with special chemistry happen to get together. No mystery about the Beach Boys – most of them share DNA. But guys from Texas, Detroit, Nebraska, and San Diego… how did that happen? I’m a fan of harmony. The cool kids disparage the Eagles, but I love their vocal blend, their instrumental skill and their perfectionism. Even when the song is icky-sticky mellow, their harmonies soar. Part I shows how they got together in the early 70s and broke up in 1980. Part II is about their 1990s reunion. Part I is far more interesting (I bailed during Part II) — how the original 4 all gravitated west and wound up together as Linda Ronstadt’s backup band. The early years, the huge successes, the fights over what kind of music to play, the personnel changes, the breakup after “The Long Run.” Be prepared for lots of self-congratulation. I’d always assumed that Henley was the group’s divisive member, but Glenn Frey reveals himself as the egomaniac.

FF=2

Thanks to comments from readers, I re-rented the disk and watched it all the way through. Plenty of plot, but much more character driven than I would have thought. Some nice twists (and they were right: Ben Kingsley was super).

FF=2

Much toned down from the original. Amazing how much humanity a talented actor can singlehandedly bring to a film: Gary Oldman.

FF=2

This one earns its R rating – lots of violent action, lots of gore, etc. This is not your usual Arnie film. It’s grim and wisecrack free. It’s also a mess. Great cast, chaotic, incoherent script. Gotta say, the action scenes are well done and the obligatory chase has a spectacular end, but the AND THEN THERE WERE NONEesque mystery can’t carry the film.

FF=2