Movie Review: "Unstoppable"

This action thriller was released last week and is now showing at several theaters in town. Denzel Washington plays an almost over-the-hill train conductor who nurse mades “newbie” Chris Pine on a roller coaster of a train ride across Pennsylvania. A half-mile-long unmanned freight train races across the countryside, heading for a potential collision with a train filled with school children and a large city. A news helicopter provides live feeds for audience- reminiscent of “Blackhawk Down.” Denzel Washington portrayal of a wizened middle age blue collar worker is excellent. The interaction and relational development between him and his apprentice in the train engine makes the movie. The ending is, as expected, sappy. The movie is of appropriate length. It is suspenseful, but not over the top.

Movie Review: "RED"

This action movie is based on a DC comic novel. An all star cast portrays a group of retired CIA operatives who are living in cognito. For unknown reasons, the entire group of retirees are targeted for assassination by the CIA. The plot is fairly sophisticated. The acting is superb. It is a delightfully funny action movie. The movie stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and a cameo appearance by Richard Dreyfus.

Movie Review: Secretariat

Despite the name of the movie, this film centers around the life of Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery. Penny is a Denver housewife who takes over the race horse farm of her father. Throughout the movie, she is torn between her desire to follow “her dream” of producing a Triple Crown Winner and the domestic cares of husband and children. The horse racing scenes were exceptional. Diane Lane’s performance as Penny Chenery was marginal. John Malkovich’s portrayal of Secretariat trainer Lucien Laurin and Margo Martindale’s “Miss Ham” were exceptional. The run time was appropriate. The plot was predictable, but enjoyable.

Lifebuilders 7/11/10

Dixon Gallery Summer 2010 Exhibits

An eclectic combination of paintings and prints by women are currently on display during the summer season at the Dixon Gallery.

Over forty impressionist paintings by New Orleans native, Helen M. Turner are featured in the main gallery. This southern spinster pursued formal art training late in life in New York. Most of the paintings portray domestic period scenes of women.

English native, Clare Leighton, produced a large number of prints for books in the early twentieth century. From her days in New York city and The South, she produced a large volume of modernistic urban and rural prints.

Also on display are paintings of Memphis native John Torina and daughter Clare Torina.

This was an interesting combination of works by three accomplished female artist. The impressionist paintings by Helen M. Turner were exceptional.

Movie Review "Green Zone"

This action thriller stars Matt Damon as a US Army Warrant Officer in search of Weapons of Mass Destruction during the early part of the latest war in Iraq. Damon is a committed patriotic soldier who is frustrated by his fruitless search for weapons. He is caught up in a web of governmental infighting and deception. The action is quick and not overly gory. The plot is semi-sophisticated. The higher levels of military and Executive branch of the US government are portrayed as merciless and deceitful. The only honorable characters are Damon, some of the Baathist leaders and those within the intelligence community who are trying to thwart his weapons search.

Movie Review: Young Victoria

This historical film chronicles the life of a youthful Queen Victoria. Until recently, the mass of movies involved Queen Victoria in her later years. The bulk of the plot involves the sporadic romance of Victoria and Prince Albert of Germany. Intrigues abound as Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her lover, Sir John Conroy scheme to steal the power of the monarchy from her prior to reaching her majority. Byzantine plottings between the two political parties of the era confound Victoria’s plans for empire and matrimony.

Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend excellently portrayed Victoria and Albert. The two are destined to marry, but protocol demands that Albert may not ask her hand in marriage until Victoria gives permission to do so. The settings and cinematography are above average. Some license is taken with the historic facts, but all without destroying the essence of the story.

Movie Review: "The Book of Eli"

This movie is the most recent addition to the recent explosion of post-apocalyptic stories. Denzel Washington plays Eli, a mysterious loner whose divine vision leads him to journey west across the mayhem of a barren lawless North America with his sacred book. Gary Oldham convincingly portrays Carnegie, an ambitious ruthless ruler who is determined to take Eli’s book. The characters are well developed. The plot of semi-sophisticated, but the running time is too long. Were it not for the salty language, the movie could have forgone it’s “R” rating. Scenes are violent, but not particularly gory by today’s standards.