"The Town"

"If we get jammed up, we're holding court on the street."

Oscar winner Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting) has had a tough time climbing back to the top after a years-long stint of starring in horrible films. But after his highly-acclaimed 2007 directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, critics and audiences alike began to revisit the phenomenon that is Ben Affleck. This month Affleck continues his streak with his sophomore effort (in which he also stars) The Town, a gritty crime drama centered around a Boston town.

The Town follows best friends and bank robbers Doug MacRay (played Affleck) and James Coughlin (played by Jeremy Renner) whose last heist was met with a glitch--better known as Claire Keesey (played by Rebecca Hall), the manager of the bank they knocked off-- of which Doug spends the rest of the movie trying to protect and smooth over. But the more he tries to cover his steps, the deeper he becomes entangled in his own lies and further into the world he perfectly orchestrated along with his best friend, who quickly catches wind that Doug might be trying to come out of the game. Best friends and criminals for years, James is the kind of guy whose heartbeat is rhythmically in tune with the streets of Boston, and he knows that his best friend has that same problem. The two must decide what side of the street they're each on and how to remain alive as the men in blue become hot on their heels in this modern and smart tale of cops and robbers.

Renner is gripping as the loose cannon James, even better than he was in The Hurt Locker. Affleck is captivating as Doug, and is a true triple threat as the star, writer and director of a great, heart-pounding film that closely rivals The Departed. Also not to be missed is Gossip Girl's Blake Lively who's jaw-dropping dramatic turn as Krista, James's drug-addicted sister and Mad Men's Jon Hamm as the FBI agent hot on their trail. The Town is a definite must-see.

Reel Talk rating: A

DVD Review: "Killers"

"How weird is this going to get? Because some things you cannot unsee."

Katherine Heigl is still desperately trying to become the new Jennifer Aniston by starring in just as many lame romantic comedies. And with Killers, co-starring Aniston's male equivalent Ashton Kutcher, she can now add this one to her neverending pile of poo.

Heigl stars as Jen Kornfeldt, a boring businesswoman who rebounds a broken heart with new love Spencer Aimes (played by Kutcher) while on vacation with her parents. After a whirlwind romance, quickie wedding and new life in suburbia, Jen learns the hard way that her beloved is a contract killer. But instead of jumping on the next flight out of there--though she did seem mildly betrayed and scared--Jen quickly jumps on the bandwagon to try to become a Bonnie (though a sloppy one) to his Clyde and hitting the road dodging bullets and killing strangers.

The first half of the movie (which introduces veteran actors Catherine O'Hara and Tom Selleck as Jen's parents) flows better than the second half, which is messy, silly and simply unfunny. Kutcher and Heigl have little to no chemistry together onscreen. The movie tries to have random dramatic moments--though brief and underperformed--and they always fell flat and took away the momentum that it should have been trying to build the whole way out. Skip it.

Reel talk rating: D

First Look: "The Fighter"

Looks like Oscar season may be under way! Previous Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Departed)stars as real-life 80s boxer "Irish" Micky Ward in The Fighter, which follows Ward's rise to fame in his career. Borrowing much of its premise from Rocky (another Oscar bait), The Fighter also shows a nearly emaciated Christian Bale (as Ward's brother, and biggest supporter Dicky), who's life is riddled with drugs and bad choices. Fellow Oscar nominees Melissa Leo and Amy Adams also costar. Check out the exclusive new trailer below. The Fighter blows into theaters December 10.




And check out this exclusive new clip:

First Look: "The Tourist"

When Frank (played by Johnny Depp), an American tourist, escapes to Italy to heal a broken heart, little did he know he would fall into a whirlwind rendezvous with the mysterious Elise (played by Angelina Jolie), whose wild nature may leave the unsuspecting Frank in way over his head in The Tourist.

The exclusive new trailer for this movie leaves a lot to the imagination, but I'm certain subsequent TV spots may give away what this first trailer tries hard to hide. Check it out below. The Tourist hits theaters December 10.

"The Expendables"

"Only an idiot would do this job."

Sylvester Stallone is arguably one of the greatest action stars of all time. So when he rounded up some of action's other big names--Jet Li, Jsson Statham and Bruce Willis--and brought along Mickey Rourke, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Eric Roberts and up and coming action giant Terry Crews for the action-packed The Expendables, audiences knew they were in for a thrill ride. Luckily for us The Expendables did not disappoint.

If you appreciated the realistic smack down action of such classic flicks as Rocky, then you'll devour The Expendables. In this high-powered, testorone-filled bloody bromance of a movie, the team stars as mercenaries hired by a mysterious Mr. Church (Willis) to take down a ruthless South American dictator in one of their most dangerous missions yet. Only when they get down there does Barney (Stallone) learn the true nature of the country's conflict as he and the rest of the trigger-happy, grenade-wielding fellas fight to save the dictator's rebellious daughter from falling prey to her own beliefs amidst turmoil.

The Expendables is more than just your average action movie; it is the action movie of the year uniting the grittiness and soul of the old genre with the special effects and coolness of the new genre. See it.

Reel Talk rating: A

DVD Review: "Greenberg"

"Youth is wasted on the young."
--"I'd go further. I'd go: 'Life is wasted on people.'"

Funnyman Ben Stiller takes a dramatic turn as a forty-something New Yorker who makes the decision to quit trying to be something and simply do nothing for the rest of his life in Greenberg. After a stint in a mental institution, Roger Greenberg heads to his brother's house in Los Angeles to housesit and falls--albeit in his own strange way--in love with his brother's assistant Florence (played by Greta Gerwig) and the possibility of a new beginning.

Somber, self-diagnosed OCD sufferer, and heavily dramatic about everything, Greenberg is a total killjoy. He's not happy and doesn't understand how anyone can be. That said, he tries to impart his self-inflicted depression onto everyone else, including his best friend from college (played by Rhys Ifans) who is also trying to make a new beginning for himself, and Florence who, despite Greenberg's valiant effort to push her away, is oddly intrigued by his "vulnerability."

Greenberg is self-indulgent, boring and very cynical (and not in a good way). The anticlimactic ending doesn't sum up the movie but rather leaves you further frustrated at Greenberg for being a miserable, unlikeable person for no apparent reason.

Reel Talk rating: C-

First Look: "Saw 3D"

In true Halloween tradition Saw has another installment coming out! And rumor has it this may be the last one (which number is this, 300?). And true to the times, it's going out with a bang by jumping on the 3d bandwagon. In this latest sequel crazy a group of Jigsaw survivors seek solace in a mysterious new self-help guru who may or may no have his own ulterior motives. Just when yo thought things couldn't get any cheesier, the new trailer just hit cyberspace and it's a riot... I mean it's scary (?).

First Look at Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls"

Tyler Perry's much anticipated movie adaptation of the gripping 1977 Broadway play about race and the struugle to self-identity between 20 anonymous Black women For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf has recently set a release date of November 10 this year and it's already getting Oscar buzz! Click here to check out the exclusive set photo and take a look at the new trailer below.

And check out this exclusive clip:

DVD Review: "The Crazies"

"It's gonna be alright, we're gonna be ok."
--"You don't really believe that, do you?"

Typically modern horror movies follow the same format--some mysterious thing chases them around their small town. In The Crazies, that thing is a virus that attacks the inhabitants of a town small town in Iowa turning the usual cookie-cutter residents into crazy flesh-eating beings that try to annihilate the whole town. The only survivors? Conveniently, the sheriff and deputy team, the town doctor and her assistant. While most of the residents are said to be of danger and are detained and killed, these four defy the odds to try to save their own lives by the skin of their teeth. They don't have anyone to trust but themselves, and with the attack of the crazies; their trust is quickly fading and so is their hope. Mediocre acting and a tired plotline ruins what's left of the movie.


Nothing new to see here, folks. Keep it moving.

Reel Talk rating: D

"Takers"

"Who's Taking Who?"

Okay, yes, the acting was near abysmal. But if you can try to get past that, Takers is kind of awesome and awesome end of the summer blockbuster. The action was pretty cool. The story, about a group of bank robbers--Idris Elba, Hayden Christensen, Chris Brown, Michael Ely and Paul Walker--whose latest heist involves knocking off an armored car carrying $20 million, is recycled, but yet keeps you entertained. When the dream team gets an offer they can't refuse from their former shady cohort Ghost (played by T.I.), who's recently released from jail, they bond together for one their most dangerous jobs ever. All the while two detectives (played by Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) are hot on their trail bringing more heat to an already tense situation that doesn't go without its hiccups and surprises.

Dillon seems to have taken a wrong turn in his career starring in this flick, after his career high turn in 2005's Crash. Hopefully he can redeem himself sooner than later. Elba, who's recently been cast as the new Alex Cross (from the famed James Patterson novels) has yet to claim his leading man status as the more sensible crook in the flick, brings along Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (in a very disappointing performance) as his drug addict sister. Her moments onscreen were clearly there to humanize the characters and make you empathize for them, but it further confused a saturated plot and appeared random and unnecessary. The rest of the cast, including the typecast Zoe Saldana who plays Ely's sultry girlfriend, remains consistent in under par performances in a B (at best) action movie.

Check out Takers for end of the summer fun. Leave your brain at home.

Reel Talk rating: B-

DVD Review: "Date Night"

"What are we going to do? We can't go home, we can't go to the police..."

Steve Carrell is usually hit or miss on the big screen. But pair him with funny girl Tina Fey and he could be almost be seen as a riot. In Date Night the two star as a boring married couple from Jersey who try to spice up their life by forgoing their normal date night at their normal steakhouse and hitting the streets of Manhattan to go to a hip new restaurant. But they soon learn that being spontaneous sometimes comes with a price when they steal a no-show couple's reservation at the crowded venue in order to take advantage of the finer food in The Big Apple. The Tripplehorns--as they now have to call themselves--get into a ton of trouble when they learn that the real couple is on the run from mobsters because they have very compromising information. The formerly simple couple who just wanted to try something new now has to find a way to dodge these mobsters and escape with their lives in this slapstick comedy that draws striking similarities to the hilarious 1970 Jack Lemmon flick The Out of Towners.

Though silly at times (mostly due to Carrell, as opposed to Fey's dry, witty humor), Date Night is the fun, lighthearted comedy that the two TV heroes needed to reclaim their box office status. Check it out.


Reel Talk rating: B-

DVD Review: "The Losers"

"Oh my God, I'm the Black Macgyver."

Though not nearly as entertaining as The A-Team, The Losers did pack almost as much action into the 90-minute flick. Add Hollywood It girl Zoe Saldana running around barely clad in most every scene waving one heavy weapon after another, and you can just call this The A-Team for the fellas.

Much like The A-Team, The Losers follows an elite group of U.S. special ops who, after getting double crossed by their maker and left for dead, go on a relentless revenge mission to take down a guy only known as Max (played by Jason Patric--why is he in this?). The team-Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar--find themselves in even more trouble when in comes the mysterious Aisha (played by Saldana) with her own agenda, much to the surprise, and demise, of the team.

If you're looking for a mindless, fun summer flick, check this one out. Otherwise, it's okay to pass this one by in the video store.

Reel Talk rating: C