Artificial Intelligence and EAGLE EYE

The new Dreamworks action film EAGLE EYE is definitely an action film in the vein of such films as VANTAGE POINT, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, or THE INTERPRETER but filtered through the lens of Steven Spielberg (who is one of the producers on the film) so the story is loose and fantastic and the action is fast and suspenseful. The main reason I wanted to see this film is because of actor Shia LaBeouf who has come unto his own since DISTURBIA, TRANSFORMERS, and INDIANA JONES 4.

I’m not giving anything away (since the plot is so transparent) when I reveal that the film is about an artificial machine/program that takes over when it believes that the government has acted immoral when it comes to recent terrorist actions. It decides to use everything in its power to manipulate people and things to help it overthrow our current government. It may sound a lot like the recent film STEALTH but it’s routes in sci-fi are much more down-played.

Even with the “by-the-numbers” script on hand EAGLE EYE is extremely entertaining from beginning to end, due in part by the great cast assembled which also includes Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, than Embry, Michael Chiklis, and Billy Bob Thornton. This being said, EAGLE EYE is also highly forgettable like many of the other action films released thus far this year (i.e. BABYLON A.D. and MAX PAYNE, among others).

The film was written by John Glee, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz, and Dan McDermott and directed by D.J. Caruso.

Keira Knightley as THE DUCHESS

THE DUCHESS just shows that actor Keira Knightley can do just about anything if she puts her mind to it. This period story about Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire’s (Knightley) life as a mother and a political figure among sexual scandal is far from an original concept but writers Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Saul Dibb (who also directed) presents a captivating story of a woman who would sacrifice everything for her family even giving up her one true love.

When Georgiana marries the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) she thinks her life will be perfect but it soon becomes clear to her that her husband only married her so that he could have an male heir and that he would rather take the maid-servants to his bed then his own wife. This leads to Georgiana’s increased involvement in politics and where she falls in love with a man from her past Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). Through this illicit affair Georgiana will learn the true meaning of sacrifice as she must confront a man who has power to undo her entire life in a world where women are seen as nothing more then property and a means to continue the male lineage of an overbearing husband.

Although a beautifully filmed movie I found THE DUCHESS to be nothing more than a very good period film in which Knightley does a fantastic job (as she did in SENSE & SENSIBILITY and ATONEMENT). The rest of the cast is capable but it is Charlotte Rampling as Lady Spenser (Georgiana’s mother) that makes an impression as she delivers the quintessential Lady. I really wanted to love this film but neither Fiennes or Cooper make an impression on me so I couldn’t really relate to what all the fuss was about.
Nevertheless, THE DUCHESS is one of the better period films that I’m sure will do marvelous things for Knightley in the future.

"If It's Halloween, It Must Be - " SAW V: A Review

There are a lot of people out there whom after four SAW films would like to think that the series has run out of steam and that there just isn’t even anything else left to say with the series or characters, but in true SAW tradition you never know or can see the whole picture until the filmmakers of SAW want you to see it.

Avid fans of the series have come to expect a lot from the series in terms of complex and gruesome traps for the victims not to mention a morality tale that gets turned on its head in the closing moments of each film revealing details that you (the audience) never saw coming (pun intended). I for one enjoy the SAW films and await diligently each Halloween for the next installment of the series as these filmmakers are the only ones continuing to produce horror films for the Halloween haunting crowd (the other Oct. 2008 releases were THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY and SPLINTER with QUARANTINE an early release – slim pickings if you know what I mean). Instead, Halloween/Oct. has become the dumping grounds for bad comedies and even worse action films (i.e. MAX PAYNE).

As an avid fan of horror films and the SAW films in general I won’t discuss the details of the new film only that they are taking the franchise in a darker direction (as if it wasn’t dark enough already) and they are stepping up the police’s involvement with the story as (and I’m not giving anything away here) Det. Hoffman (who was revealed in the last film to be working with the Jigsaw killer) must tie up loose ends in order to cement the legacy of what Jigsaw, aka John Crammer, was trying to accomplish.

Although the new film is under a new director with David Hackl this new film maintains the same quality and style of the previous films and has a twist ending that still is hard to believe yet more satisfying then the one from the last film. It’s got to be extremely hard to continue producing these high quality horror films with such high standards year in and year out. The SAW films have become pop culture and have transcended it’s original meager roots to be an event not to be missed each Halloween season.
Although interest in the continuing saga seems to be waning (just look at the box office receipts between the second SAW and the forth SAW) there are still enough people interested enough to stick with it where ever it may go including me because what else do I have to look forward to – MOLLY HARTLEY 2?