The Hurt Locker On DVD

Hurt Locker: the Film takes place in Iraq and involves an elite Army bomb squad unit. They basically get called out when the army believes they have found a road side bomb or the like. This special unit comes in and tries to defuse it.....while keeping watch on the locals to make sure nobody detonates the bomb. Jeremy Renner plays a new "hot shot" on the squad who defuses bombs in a rather unorthodox way. The movie is filled with intense moments!! The story itself is very timely and poignant and shows us some of the hell these modern day soldiers are going through. My one complaint is the typical story line of the army Sgt who is counting down his last days in Iraq, thus we all pull for him to make sure nothing happens before he leaves for home. I liked the film very much, but not as much as most critics - however it is VERY much worth a spin...

" Pick It Up"

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Defiance DVD Review

Defiance: Daniel Craig stars in the true story of the Bielski resistance. The three Bielski brothers were responsible for protecting over a thousand Jewish people who escaped Nazi-occupied Europe. They fled into the Belorussian forests where they made a small village and survived for three plus years. The Bielskis also joined Russian resistance fighters and actually fought back against the Nazis. I was hoping the movie was going to be a little more like Red Dawn with some surprise attacks, RPGs, and someone yelling "Bielskis" instead of wolverines. However the story focuses more on the "survival in the woods aspect"- which after awhile got a bit redundant. It was nice to see a film about Jewish people fighting back during WWII, but overall the movie was paced too slow and dragged on a little to long. Ahh Bielski!

"Kick it to the Floor"

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Valkyrie DVD

Valkyrie: Jerry Maguire dons an eye patch and plots an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler. Although we know how the assassination attempt turns out, the movie still does a fine job of stirring up some suspense. Cruise does a reasonable job of blending in, I mention this because he normally plays “Tom Cruise” and that can be distracting in a period piece. Here he plays Claus Von Stauffenberg, a colonel in the German army who was brave enough to plant a bomb inside Hitler’s headquarters. The film does supply one action scene on the battlefield, but make no mistake, this is more of a tense thriller than it is a war movie.

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Body of Lies

Body of Lies: Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in a Ridley Scott movie....this has some promise. Promise yes, but in actuality they made a very mediocre film. DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, a CIA agent searching for terrorists in Jordan. Crowe plays Ed Hoffman the man in charge of the operation back in the states. Their ways of getting things done are quite different and that almost leads to Ferris’ death more than a couple of times. Do they trust Jordan’s security agency or are they plotting against the Americans as well? It all comes across as something we have seen before and seen done better. The ending leaves you guessing and did build up some mild suspense. I faintly recommend…

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Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. not only spoof Hollywood war movies, but also the whole Hollywood system. For starters, Robert Downey Jr. plays an esteemed Australian method actor who dyes his skin in order to play an African-American captain in the movie. When it looks like the production is in jeopardy, the director decides he needs to get the best out of his cast. He brings them out into the jungle and has them find their own way home. The actors are under the impression that everyone is in on the movie, when in actuality their lives are on the line. It took a little time for this movie to grow on me, but the movie just kept getting funnier. I think a second viewing would only illuminate more amusing pleasures. Tom Cruise like you have never seen him before has a small, but hilarious role as the head of the studio. This is a very big….very silly movie….so give it a spin and have a laugh!

“Pick it Up"

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Rambo

Rambo: On the heels of the successful Rocky revival, Sylvester Stallone tries to do it again – this time with the Green Beret John J. Rambo. The story picks up with Rambo working on a river in Thailand, obviously wanting to be left alone. A group of missionaries looking to get into war-torn Burma ask Rambo if he would be kind enough to drive them there on his riverboat. John Rambo, being a softie, caves when the pretty girl missionary asks him nicely. Once in Burma the missionaries are captured (shocker) and only Rambo can save them (bigger shocker). The film is short (85 min) and to the point, with an onslaught of action and violence. I did not like that the action focuses on big groups of people being gunned down at one time. I would much rather have seen Rambo use his Green Beret instincts to make calculated and precise kills. The movie felt like it was thrown together in a week’s time for the sole purpose of making a little coin for John J.

“Kick it to the Floor”

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