The Game Plan

By Nathan Young

When I saw the trailer for 'The Game Plan', it looked entertaining and funny. Sadly, that trailer provided the same amount of laughs as the actual movie.

For the first time on this blog, I am giving a movie a 'thumbs down'. The movie had some redeeming qualities, but I had high hopes going in and left the theater feeling let down. Dwayne Johnson (aka 'The Rock') has the ability to be a big movie star, but this vehicle was not the right one for his talents.

Since I screened this movie without James and this blog is his creation, I will try to loosely follow his format. 'The Game Plan revolves around Joe 'The King' Kingman ('The Rock'), superstar quarterback for the Boston Rebels. Kingman has it all, or so he thinks. He lives alone in his penthouse suite watching himself on Sportscenter by day and partying all night. Kingman's world changes when a young girl named Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) shows up at his doorstep. After originally being mistaken for an autograph seeking fan, Peyton proceeds to explain to Kingman that she is his daughter. What follows is a lesson in child rearing and tough love.

The list of things wrong with this movie is lengthy. The movie was long on predictability and sappiness. 'The Rock' turned in an awkward performance as Joe Kingman, although the scene in which he sings to Peyton was touching. Kyra Sedgwick was also disappointing. I usually enjoy Mrs. Kevin Bacon, but this time she seemed to just be cashing a paycheck on a break from her television show 'The Closer'. Her character was not likeable, and neither was her performance. Director Andy Fickman (She's The Man) did not keep the pace moving fast enough. There were too many lulls between laughs.

Despite all the negatives, there were several things to like in this movie. Number one was Pettis. She was adorable and did a great job of displaying the gamut of emtions Peyton was experiencing. Another positive was the performance of Morris Chestnut as Kingman's teammate Travis Sanders. Chestnut was not a main part of the story, but he shined in every scene in which he appeared. Also, the football scenes were realistic and fun to watch. 'The Rock', who played defensive tackle in college at Miami, was a believable pro quarterback.

In the end, however, I would advise you to rent this one at Blockbuster if you must see this movie. Kids will enjoy it, but parents will probably be looking at their watches most of the time.

Other Dwayne Johnson Movies
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Death Sentence

Wilsford's Review
“Death Sentence” gets a thumb up. I have to say that I need to take back my view about poor movies released in August. Now I know that this wasn’t released in August but it was pre-Labor day which means it can be lumped into August. The acting was great. Kevin Bacon is very good and it was demonstrated very well in the first 30 minutes of the movie, which was very intense. The main villain, played by Garrett Hedlund, gave a great performance. The visuals of the movie were really interesting. It was filmed in a grainy quality and the lighting of the movie was generally dark. I thought these two complemented the movie really well. The general story of the movie, *Spoiler Alert*, was a normal suburban father and his star athlete son were downtown when his son became a victim of an initiation murder to which he, Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon), was the only eye-witness. After a series of events, his son’s killer is set loose. This leads Nick to seek out and “murder” his son’s killer. Unfortunately the boy that Nick just killed happened to the brother of a gang leader. The gang leader tries to kill Nick only to loose one of his own. Soon Nick’s family is in the cross hairs and the movie ends with Nick going after the whole gang, which was about 5 other guys. It is a sad gang. *End Spoiler Alert* The visuals added to the emotions of the story which isn’t happy. I also liked this movie because it seemed realistic and over the top at the same time. The events that occurred seemed realistic to what someone would do/go through if they were subjected to what the main character was put through. It seemed over the top because it had some cliché moments like a gun montage, which was cool. This movie was intense all the way which brings me to some cautions. This movie was violent but I don’t think it was ridiculous violence it just showed it. For example, when you take a shotgun and shoot someone at the knee at close range, the bottom half of the leg will be separated. Now I don’t think that is an example of exaggerated violence but while some movies won’t show it, this one does. This isn’t surprising when the director of this movie also directed “Saw.”

Young's Review
There may never have been a more aptly titled film than 'Death Sentence'. The name says it all. Strap on your seatbelt and get ready for a violent ride.

I am giving this movie a thumbs up. I say this despite the fact that it is graphically, and at times uncomfortably, violent. I thought the movie was well done from a cinematic standpoint. Director James Wan's use of dark colors and grainy textures gave this movie a gritty realism. Kevin Bacon's portrayal of vengeful father Nick Hume further proves why he is one of Hollywood's most underrated actors. Garrett Hedlund (Friday Night Lights) also showed off his versatility as an actor in the role of angonist Billy Zarley, which was a major departure from his previous work.

The hand held camera work brought a palpable sense of tension to the action sequences. The scene where Zarley and his gang are chasing Hume through the streets ranks as one of the most suspenseful chases ever captured on film.

Overall, I liked the movie. The overload of violence and the inevitably depressing ending, however, are what keeps me from calling this movie great. If you have a taste for shoot'em up or revenge flicks, this movie is for you.

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The Kingdom

Wilsford's Review
Thumb: Up

Notable Characters:
Jaime Foxx – Ronald Fleury
Chris Cooper – Grant Sykes
Jennifer Garner – Janet Mayes
Jason Bateman – Adam Leavitt
Ashraf Barhom – Col. Faris Al Ghazi

Plot (contains spoilers): On an American military base in Saudi Arabia, a small group of terrorists break into the compound and set off a bomb killing themselves and a dozen others. However this attack was only the bait to get more Americans on the base so that later that evening they could set up another bomb, bigger and deadlier. This attack resulted in the FBI sending over a small task force to investigate. Met with much hostility from the US government and resistance from the Saudi government, the task force is not able to do much investigating. Until special agent Fleury makes a bold move to confront the Prince of Saudi Arabia and convinces him to let his team work. After some investigating, they realize that this attack was carried out by terrorist Abu Hamza. After this discovery the US forces the team to return to the states only to be ambushed on the road and have their partner, Adam Leavitt, captured. Following the kidnappers they arrive in a very unfriendly part of town and are involved in a 20 minute shoot out which results in the saving of Leavitt and the death of many terrorists including Hamza.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:
• Action was slow in the middle. It started off with an action scene, the base bombing, but then slowed till the end.
• Jennifer Garner, don’t like her too much. I was never a fan of “Alias”, I didn’t want to see “13 Going on 30”, I really don’t think she is that cute (large forehead), and I don’t think she is that great of an actor. She was just okay in this movie.
• It seemed that they took a page out of the Bourn movies as it goes for cinematography. Please stop with the handheld. It makes me want to barf and you don’t want customers barfing at your movie.

Reason why I liked it:
• Acting was great. I know I just said bad things about Garner, but that doesn’t take away from everyone else. Foxx was good, Bateman was great, and Chris Cooper was awesome. Cooper didn’t have much screen time but when he was on, he was good and I can’t really explain why I liked him so much, I just did.
• Action was stellar. The end scene was more than enough. It wasn’t unrealistic, it was intense, and fast paced. I don’t like using clichés, but from the time that Bateman’s character was kidnapped till the end, I was on the edge of my seat.
• Ending was perfect. I usually don’t want to see movies that involve the US and the Middle East because they are usually political and I don’t really agree with Hollywood’s politics. However, I didn’t think that this was very political if at all. The ending really summed up this war is all about; it is a battle of ideologies. We didn’t do anything wrong, we are Americans and they want us dead.

Final Notes: Easily the best movie of the fall and probably the second best movie of the year. It is violent but it is a great movie.

Young's Review
Fans of the action genre have plenty to be excited about in 'The Kingdom'. They will just have to wait a while to get to the good stuff.

While the movie takes a while to really rev up its engine, the finished product is both thought provoking and entertaining. This movie definitely gets a "thumbs up". The acting and directing were top notch, and the movie even made a political statement without choosing sides.

The movie centers around a FBI task force, led by Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx), that goes to Saudi Arabia to investigate a bombing of an American military base against the wishes of The White House. Once there, the group finds itself stonewalled by the Saudi prince when they attempt to get to the bottom of the case. Saudi army colonel Faris Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom) is assigned to escort the team around the bombing site to make sure they don't find too many answers. As the film progresses, however, Al-Ghazi's desire to find the suspect behind the crime causes him to join forces with the Americans. Barhom was a revelation as Al-Ghazi. He stole the spotlight from a top-notch cast that included Chris Cooper (Breach), Jennifer Garner (Catch and Release) and Jason Bateman (TV's 'Arrested Development'). He deftly displayed the inner turmoil Al-Ghazi felt in trying to solve the case. His metamorphosis from a soldier towing the company line to a man in search of the truth was captivating. Here's hoping we see more of Barhom in future films.

In addition to Barhom's powerhouse performance, the rest of the cast was strong as well. The credit for that should go partly to director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights), who also made a cameo in the film. He kept the first half of the movie moving along, despite the heavy amount of exposition that went into setting up the story. Garner turned in a reliable performance as forensic expert Janet Mayes that was reminiscent of her days as Sydney Bristow on 'Alias'. Cooper, one of the best actors around that no one knows about, was underutilized in the role of Grant Sykes. Bateman balanced comedic and dramatic moments in his role as captured agent Adam Leavitt. Jeremy Piven also brought comic relief in a brief appearance as a U.S. state department official.

The film takes painstaking effort to make the enemy human. A look inside the home of the bombing's mastermind makes the ending harder to swallow. We see that the fight may never end because both sides will stop at nothing to win.

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