This Prisoner miniseries is a remake of sorts of a 60’s British series that is quite famous but I have never seen it. The miniseries was aired on AMC and will be aired again this month. It’s also available on Netflix. When the series starts, it was immediately clear that there was a lot more going on that was obvious. I thorough enjoyed this series and tried very hard to figure it all out as I went through it but except for a few points was unable to. That’s the mark of a good story for me.  I watched the beginning of it with friends and they were quite taken with it right away. It’s too bad they didn’t make this an ongoing series. I definitely would have watched it. I give it a four out of five marks. I think you’ll enjoy it.

I’ve been a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since they were just comic book heroes so I may be a bit biased. The original TV version was fun but made for kids. The latest version got better and also darker but never held my attention enough to keep up with the seemingly endless episodes. Still I’d watch an episode now and then just to see what was happening in the series. This movie does not require you to be as knowledgeable of Turtle lore as I am. You don’t have to be fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to enjoy this movie but if you are, even just a little, rest assured that you will be appropriately entertained. All that and you can even sit and watch it with your kids.

The story is about a young and talented gymnast who is training to be in the Olympics. He is having the time of his life but something isn’t quite right for him. It starts in his dreams and leads him to a gas station attendant played by Nick Nolte who offers to teach him the way of the warrior but in order for him to go to the next level, he has to leave some of himself behind. The lead is played by a young actor named Scott Mechlowicz who I’ve never seen before. He carries the part well and is believable in gymnastic action even if it’s probably not him in those parts. I enjoyed the whole movie and left it feeling inspired. I give this film a 4 out of 5 marks.

There are a few famililar faces in this movie. Julianne Moore plays the wife of an Eye Doctor who is played by Mark Ruffalo. Julianne’s character is somehow immune to the disease and shares that secret with her sightless husband. The disease does not discriminate so people of all kinds including, doctors, prostitutes, thieves, would-be philosophers, and children find themselves herded together and forming a forced community. It get’s really bad towards the end and parts seem to resemble ‘Lord of the Flies’.

I don’t think I liked any character in this film but that didn’t stop me from watching it through to the end. Watching humanity devolve day by day until they are little more than filthy animals held my attention surprisingly well. I give this movie a 4 out of 5 marks.

The sex between Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon’s characters was intense but not outrageous. Both women played their part well and their sexuality seemed to ooze from the screen and believe it or not, without the sex, the rest of the movie wouldn’t have worked. Once it started being all about the money, the film leapt into suspense mode and never let up until the movie was all but over. It’s easy to know who to root for but since everyone in this movie is a bad guy of some sort, you just don’t know for sure until it’s over. Joe Pantoliano was at his maniacal best in this film, almost as if the role was made  for him. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end and give it an enthusiastic 4.5 out of 5 marks.

You’re not likely to recognize any of the films characters. Since the main character is from the DR, and part of the story takes place there, most of the movie is in Spanish so if that’s not your language then you’ll need to invoke the subtitles. That doesn’t take away from the film thought. It is surprising engaging and heart warming as well, though not overly so. This wouldn’t have been a film I would have taken a chance on in the theater but I found it to be a great film to watch at home in intimate company. I give it a 3 and a half out of 4 marks. It came close to getting a 4.

This film is by no means an action flick. It’s pretty straight forward. Matt Damon plays a young law student named Rudy Baylor. He is motivated by his love for the law and the possibility of doing amazing work as a lawyer. First he has to get out of law school, and find a way to earn a living. His path places him in a position to experience a lot of the ugly side of being a lawyer and into a series of legal battles in which he is way over his head. This includes a major fight against an insurance company armed with highly paid, experiences lawyers led by Jon Voight’s character.

I would have like a but more action in the film. It’s also not as much a thriller as I would have liked but I did enjoy the movie. It made me care about certain characters of the film and I felt satisfied when the movie was over. I give it a 3 and a half out of 5 marks.

After having been disappointed with everything that has come out of the Highlander storyline of late, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Already an Anime fan, I appreciate the visual quality and overall look of the film. It is an untold story of the Highlander mythos and fits well into that franchise, paving the way for new stories to be told. That I am already a fan of the Highlander conversation is what got me to check out this film and I am happy I did. I found it to be pleasing on many levels and easily recommend it, giving it a 4 out of 5 marks.

This is not a movie for those who are impatient or crave action. This is an intellectual movie or at least high concept drama. I found it quite interesting and entertaining but not everybody will. There are no major actors in this film to speak of though many of them will be familiar from the myriad of TV shows they’ve worked on. This is a noteworthy film for the right audience but certainly not for children or fidgety friends. They’d be bored to tears. For that reason I only give it a 3 and a half out of 4 marks.