Character Spotlight- Temptress- Def By Temptation

 **This post contains spoilers**

There’s a beautiful woman sitting at the end of the bar. She’s charming, and her magnetic presence draws you in for more. Sounds like a perfect scenario for a night out on the town? No problems, right? Well, there’s a big problem, because she’s actually a succubus.

Temptress (Cynthia Bond) is a powerful demon, a monster with many supernatural powers. Her deadliest weapon? Lust. A married man named Norman (Rony Clanton)? A shameless womanizing bartender (John Canada Terrell)? Temptress knows how to pick her targets. Dangling the possibility of sex is more than enough bait to lure naive and unsuspecting men to their deaths, tempting forbidden fruit that’s rotten to the core.

You can also point to a big conundrum about Temptress’ character. Is she an antihero? Let’s face it, some of the men she targets aren’t exactly model citizens. The bartender clearly has no problem going after women, who are already in relationships. On top of that, he’s pushing for one of the women in his rotation to get an abortion.

Norman? Maybe he’s a guy, who’s played it too safe in life? He wants to step outside of his comfort zone, and have some fun, but he’s still a married men. Temptress leaving Norman with scars that’ll never heal, while also giving him AIDS? Of course, you could say that’s going too far for brutal punishment, but Norman would’ve been safe, if he never made the decision to cheat on his wife.

If you want to go on the more cruel side of Temptress’ rampage, it’s hard to imagine justifying Johnathan’s (Michael Rivera) unfortunate ending. Temptress baited Johnathan, a gay man, with the idea of sex being “much better” with a woman. Sure, maybe Johnathan is a bit full of himself, but that doesn’t mean he deserved to be mauled to death. 

Temptress is seemingly unstoppable, until she runs into a young minister in training named Joel (James Bond III). He’s the last of a dying breed. The last man in his bloodline, who has what it takes to stop Temptress. The elaborate holy water plan involving Joel’s longtime best friend, K (Kadeem Hardison), Dougy (Bill Nunn), and the second bartender spectacularly failed. 

The succubus was destroyed by a soft-spoken ordinary guy, a cross, and his faith. Pure evil was defeated by a genuinely earnest and good man, who was motivated by his loving grandmother (Minnie Gentry) and the memories of his dead father, Minister Garth (Samuel L. Jackson). In the end, Temptress’ obsession with conquering her only true obstacle was her undoing.

Temptress has the long golden nails, the snazzy all black outfits (with the exception of the “lady in red” scene), and there’s no denying Cynthia Bond brings a commanding presence to Temptress with a confident performance. Bond also shows some noticeable enthusiasm for the home stretch of the movie, during Temptress’ more cheesy and zany over the top scenes. 

Temptress could’ve easily killed Joel and his grandmother. What happened? Temptress’ ego got in the way. It’s another classic case of an all powerful villain lowering their guard just enough to give the unlikely hero an opening for a miraculous comeback. Joel was able to put a stop to a lengthy and gruesome reign of terror, because Temptress couldn’t help herself, and she celebrated an incomplete victory too soon.

Jumper (2008)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- After a failed attempt to impress his crush, Millie (AnnaSophia Robb), and a run-in with his pesky bully, Mark (Jesse James), a young David Rice (Max Thieriot) accidentally discovers he has the ability to jump. A Jumper can instantly teleport to any place on earth, and David uses his powers to escape his strict and abusive father, William (Michael Rooker).

Years later, David (Hayden Christensen) has mastered his powers, using jumping to rob banks, so he can live a luxurious lifestyle. David finds Millie (Rachel Bilson) working at a bar. He convinces Millie to travel with him to Rome to see the Colosseum, fulfilling one of Millie’s childhood dream vacations. 

But the trip is disrupted, when David runs into another Jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell). To make matters worse, David and Griffin are hunted by Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson). Roland leads the Paladins, a secret group fiercely dedicated to capturing and killing Jumpers. David will need Griffin’s help to stop Roland and protect Millie. And David’s situation takes a bizarre turn, when his estranged mother, Mary (Diane Lane) reappears.

My Thoughts- Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Bell easily deliver the two best performances here. Jackson is a mean and relentless jerk, and he does a fantastic job of selling Roland’s hatred for Jumpers. You really believe Roland is genuinely disgusted by Jumpers, and he will do anything to exterminate them. Also, the obsessive religious fanaticism tied into the Paladins and Roland’s character truly helps solidify his status, as a clear-cut villain throughout the movie.

Jamie Bell plays the angsty tough guy type. He’s closed off and refuses to open up to David about his past, and Bell brings believable intensity to Griffin. Griffin can be a loose cannon, but he still has enough common sense to be responsible, when it matters.

The dynamic and the relationship between Griffin and David hits all the right notes. David is reckless and greedy with his jumping abilities. His lifestyle draws too much attention. Griffin? He quietly lives in a cave. Sure, you could say Griffin is a bit unhinged, but he’s careful and far more disciplined than David. 

As the story progresses, we learn that Mary is a Paladins. That’s why she abandoned David and his father years ago, because as a Paladins, she had to make a choice: leave the family, or kill her own son. It’s kind of a somber ending, when David realizes his mother simply moved on and continued living her life without him. She lives in a nice house, and David has a sister named Sophie (Kristen Stewart).

I wouldn’t say they reach eye rolling levels, but Jumper is loaded with a lot of familiar cliches. As a kid, David is shy and socially awkward. He has a crush on his dream girl, but his bully Mark is one of the dark clouds hanging over his life. 

William? He’s the typical verbally abusive drunk father, but it’s possible to have sympathy for him. Mary bailed on the family, leaving William to raise David on his own. That’s a lot of stress and heartbreak to deal with alone, but William changes as David ages. You can see he wants to have a relationship with his son. He wants to understand him, and William lies to Roland in a failed attempt to protect David.

Jumper delivers some good thrills, but they kind of went overboard with showing how cool it is to be a Jumper. David eating on top of a Sphinx’s head in Egypt is one moment that sticks out, and Griffin showing off his advanced skills to steal a Mercedes, jumping through the dealership at full speed without breaking the glass. Early on the movie, it’s easy to understand what jumping is and how David and Griffin do it, so some of the “jumping is so cool and awesome!” scenes were unnecessary. 

Jumper features a solid cast, and it’s a movie that moves at a quick pace. The runtime flies by with consistent action and a good sense of urgency, as David and Griffin figure out their next moves. 

Jumper is a decent and fun action/sci-fi film, but it also feels incomplete. David and Mary accepted they’ll always share an awkward relationship, and they’re also on opposite sides of the never ending war between Jumpers and Paladins, so that’s a cliffhanger. Millie finally accepted David for what he is, and they end the movie with David and Millie in a seemingly happy relationship. Griffin? David left him trapped in the wires (large amounts of electricity hinders a Jumper’s ability to jump) in another country. Will Griffin trust David again? Or is he looking for revenge?

Roland is still alive, stuck in the Grand Canyon with no help to escape. And we don’t know what happened to William after David dropped him off at the hospital. A lot of loose ends, but we’re in 2024 now, and Jumper was released all the way back in 2008. I still haven’t seen it, but the Impulse series has two seasons. The problem is, Impulse is a stand alone series, so it’s not connected to this movie.

They planted enough seeds to lay the foundation for a sequel, and Jackson could’ve been an excellent villain. Jumper wasn’t perfect, but the potential was there, and the premise definitely had more roads to explore.

Rating- 5/10

RoboCop (2014)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major character deaths, or reveals.**

I'll do a more thorough compare and contrast review with the original and the remake in the future, because I'm planning on a review series for every RoboCop film. It's similar to my Night Of The Demons and Silent Night, Deadly night review series, if you're wondering. Let's get to it. 

It’s 2028, and OmniCorp is on a mission to change the world. As the world’s largest supplier for robot soldiers and drones in the US military, OmniCorp launches a plan to use robots for crime fighting in the US, but strict laws prevent crime fighting robots in America. Senator Hubert Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier) dedicates his life to fighting OmniCorp, and their plans to use robots in the US. Senator Dreyfuss believes emotionless machines are untrustworthy in the field of battle, and the risk of a malfunctioning product will endanger the lives of innocent US citizens.

At OmniCorp’s headquarters in Detroit, OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) devises a plan to fight Senator Dreyfuss, and erase the stigma for dangerous robots. Sellars is making money overseas in wars and occupied countries, but he’s missing out on a big payday with no crime fighting robots on US soil.

Sellars pushes his team to come up with a solution. Liz Kline (Jennifer Ehle) is the head of OmniCorp’s legal affairs, and Tom Pope (Jay Baruchel) controls marketing, but OminCorp’s top sceintist, Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) doesn’t like the idea of crossing moral boundaries. Sellars plans to exploit a loophole in America’s robot laws (or the “Dreyfuss Act”)? Sellars wants to put a man inside a machine, but OmniCorp needs the right candidate, someone wholesome, a victimized hero for the people to rally behind and idolize. But Sellars and his team run into a serious of problems for the right candidate after a thorough search on a list of wounded soldiers and police officers.

Meanwhile, two Detroit detectives named Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) and Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams) form an undercover team to infiltrate Antoine Vallon‘s (Patrick Garrow), a ruthless crime boss, empire. But Jack is stuck in a hospital bed after a fierce shootout with Vallon’s thugs. Alex is motivated by revenge, but Chief Karen Dean (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) warns Alex about the consequences for pursuing Vallon without the proper evidence to convict Vallon.

One night, Alex leaves his house to shut off the alarm on his car, but Alex triggers an explosion from a bomb, when he opens the door. A disfigured Alex has one shot at survival: OmniCorp. During his coma, Alex’s wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish) signs an agreement for Alex’s once in a lifetime procedure with Dr. Dennett leading the way. Alex has trouble adjusting to his new as a half-man, half-machine crime fighter, but more money is the  top priority for Sellars, and using Alex to change American public’s perception for robots. And Alex needs to sharpen his skills as an elite crime fighter, so he receives training from Rick Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley), OmniCorp‘s combat expert.

Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson) uses his show (The Novak Element) to push pro robot propaganda, and Novak is an important supporter for Sellars and his never ending mission to use robots in the US. Alex’s new life as a living, breathing crime fighting machine is full of obstacles. Alex is trying to balance his crime fighting duties, and his responsibilities as a father and a husband, and Alex honors his promise to Jack. During Alex’s search for a location on Vallon, Alex exposes corruption at the police station with a few tips from Detective Andre Daniels (K.C. Collins) and Detective John Lake (Daniel Kash), and Alex uncovers the truth behind OmniCorp’s plans for the future…….

Joel Kinnaman is solid in the leading role, and he deserves credit for a strong effort. The new look for RoboCop? Kinnaman sports a sleek look as a modernized version of RoboCop. He’s faster, and Kinnaman’s movements are more fluid. That’s a big difference, when you compare Kinnaman’s RoboCop to the clunky Robocop (i.e. Peter Weller and Robert John Burke) from the originals, but you have to expect some big changes for a modernized version.

Using black as a new color didn’t bother me at all, and you’ll see the original color, but vintage (using that word loosely) RoboCop‘s screen time is very limited. Also, don’t worry about the exposed human hand for Kinnaman. I’m mentioning the hand, because I vividly remember a lot of complaints for the human hand in various places on the internet. Trust me, you’ll barely notice the hand after a while, and it’s not a big deal.

Abbie Cornish is believable as the supportive wife. Jackie Earle Haley delivers an entertaining performance, as the tough and uncompromising trainer, and you’ll see a few funny moments during the little feud with Alex and Rick.

No real complaints about the veterans. Michael Keaton is a decent antagonist, as the greedy and two-faced corporate tycoon. Gary Oldman maintains a streak of reliable consistency  with another quality performance, and Samuel L. Jackson is a nice fit for the Pat Novak character. Novak is this obnoxious loudmouth (“Why is America so Robo-phobic?!?!”), who will do and say anything to push the robot movement, and Jackson delivers another one of his classic tirades during the finale.

Of course, the remake tries to explore the “Man VS Machine” dilemma, and the dangers of trusting an emotionless machine over a rational human being with feelings and reasoning. But the quandary never reaches thought-provoking levels, because the remake favors action and CGI, so the Man VS Machine stuff takes a backseat.

RoboCop is a harmless remake, but they stay in a safe zone here. You won’t see an effort to take any real risks, because RoboCop 2014 never reaches an embarrassingly awful low point. On the flip side of that, there’s no real attempt to create a different film with a bold vision. RoboCop 2014 is a safe and modernized version of the 1987 original, and the remake avoids a nomination for a spot in the Hall Of Shame for terrible remakes (i.e. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010).

Die hard fans of the ‘87 original will nitpick and tear this one apart, but RoboCop 2014 is a decent action/sci-fi film. Director Jose Padilha deserves credit for a handful of slick and hard hitting action sequences, and the cast is rock solid, featuring a few noteworthy performances from the veterans (Jackson, Haley, and Oldman).

Is RoboCop 2014 perfect? No. Ten years from now, will RoboCop 2014 join a lengthy list of forgettable and harmless remakes? Yeah, there’s a good chance that’s going to happen. Still, RoboCop 2014 could’ve been a lot worse. I set the bar low for this one, but RoboCop 2014 earned a spot on my list of pleasant surprises for 2014, so I‘ll go with a positive score.

Rating: 5/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

RoboCop (2014)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

I'll do a more thorough compare and contrast review with the original and the remake in the future, because I'm planning on a review series for every RoboCop film. It's similar to my Night Of The Demons and Silent Night, Deadly night review series, if you're wondering. Let's get to it. 

It’s 2028, and OmniCorp is on a mission to change the world. As the world’s largest supplier for robot soldiers and drones in the US military, OmniCorp launches a plan to use robots for crime fighting in the US, but strict laws prevent crime fighting robots in America. Senator Hubert Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier) dedicates his life to fighting OmniCorp, and their plans to use robots in the US. Senator Dreyfuss believes emotionless machines are untrustworthy in the field of battle, and the risk of a malfunctioning product will endanger the lives of innocent US citizens.

At OmniCorp’s headquarters in Detroit, OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) devises a plan to fight Senator Dreyfuss, and erase the stigma for dangerous robots. Sellars is making money overseas in wars and occupied countries, but he’s missing out on a big payday with no crime fighting robots on US soil.

Sellars pushes his team to come up with a solution. Liz Kline (Jennifer Ehle) is the head of OmniCorp’s legal affairs, and Tom Pope (Jay Baruchel) controls marketing, but OminCorp’s top sceintist, Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) doesn’t like the idea of crossing moral boundaries. Sellars plans to exploit a loophole in America’s robot laws (or the “Dreyfuss Act”)? Sellars wants to put a man inside a machine, but OmniCorp needs the right candidate, someone wholesome, a victimized hero for the people to rally behind and idolize. But Sellars and his team run into a serious of problems for the right candidate after a thorough search on a list of wounded soldiers and police officers.

Meanwhile, two Detroit detectives named Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) and Jack Lewis (Michael K. Williams) form an undercover team to infiltrate Antoine Vallon‘s (Patrick Garrow), a ruthless crime boss, empire. But Jack is stuck in a hospital bed after a fierce shootout with Vallon’s thugs. Alex is motivated by revenge, but Chief Karen Dean (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) warns Alex about the consequences for pursuing Vallon without the proper evidence to convict Vallon.

One night, Alex leaves his house to shut off the alarm on his car, but Alex triggers an explosion from a bomb, when he opens the door. A disfigured Alex has one shot at survival: OmniCorp. During his coma, Alex’s wife, Clara (Abbie Cornish) signs an agreement for Alex’s once in a lifetime procedure with Dr. Dennett leading the way. Alex has trouble adjusting to his new as a half-man, half-machine crime fighter, but more money is the  top priority for Sellars, and using Alex to change American public’s perception for robots. And Alex needs to sharpen his skills as an elite crime fighter, so he receives training from Rick Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley), OmniCorp‘s combat expert.

Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson) uses his show (The Novak Element) to push pro robot propaganda, and Novak is an important supporter for Sellars and his never ending mission to use robots in the US. Alex’s new life as a living, breathing crime fighting machine is full of obstacles. Alex is trying to balance his crime fighting duties, and his responsibilities as a father and a husband, and Alex honors his promise to Jack. During Alex’s search for a location on Vallon, Alex exposes corruption at the police station with a few tips from Detective Andre Daniels (K.C. Collins) and Detective John Lake (Daniel Kash), and Alex uncovers the truth behind OmniCorp’s plans for the future…….

Joel Kinnaman is solid in the leading role, and he deserves credit for a strong effort. The new look for RoboCop? Kinnaman sports a sleek look as a modernized version of RoboCop. He’s faster, and Kinnaman’s movements are more fluid. That’s a big difference, when you compare Kinnaman’s RoboCop to the clunky Robocop (i.e. Peter Weller and Robert John Burke) from the originals, but you have to expect some big changes for a modernized version.

Using black as a new color didn’t bother me at all, and you’ll see the original color, but vintage (using that word loosely) RoboCop‘s screen time is very limited. Also, don’t worry about the exposed human hand for Kinnaman. I’m mentioning the hand, because I vividly remember a lot of complaints for the human hand in various places on the internet. Trust me, you’ll barely notice the hand after a while, and it’s not a big deal.

Abbie Cornish is believable as the supportive wife. Jackie Earle Haley delivers an entertaining performance, as the tough and uncompromising trainer, and you’ll see a few funny moments during the little feud with Alex and Rick.

No real complaints about the veterans. Michael Keaton is a decent antagonist, as the greedy and two-faced corporate tycoon. Gary Oldman maintains a streak of reliable consistency  with another quality performance, and Samuel L. Jackson is a nice fit for the Pat Novak character. Novak is this obnoxious loudmouth (“Why is America so Robo-phobic?!?!”), who will do and say anything to push the robot movement, and Jackson delivers another one of his classic tirades during the finale.

After a flashback from his bombing accident, Alex uses his new equipment to track down and kill Vallon and his men at Vallon’s secret hideout. But there’s something fishy about Vallon’s last stand. Vallon was ready and waiting for Alex, because someone warned him, so Alex returns to the police station for more answers.

Eventually, Andre and John reveal their secrets as dirty cops. They’re on Vallon’s payroll, and both men sabotaged Alex’s attempted murder case and Jack’s shooting to erase any suspicions for Vallon as the prime suspect. And Chief Dean joins the growing list of informants for Vallon, because she’s the one, who warned Vallon about Alex’s raid. Alex forced a confession out of Dean at gunpoint, but Rick pulled the plug at the last second with the shutdown (whenever Alex crosses any lines, OmniCorp uses a shutdown button to stop him) button for Alex to prevent Chief Dean’s certain death.

But it’s not ever yet. Alex fights OminCorp’s mind control, and Sellars jumps into damage control mode. Sellars orders Alex’s death, because Sellars fears the repercussions for the American public knowing the truth about OmniCorp. Sellars wants to kill Alex, and Sellars will use the legacy of a “dead hero” to push his propaganda for robot soldiers on US soil. But Alex escapes his execution with some help from Dr. Norton.

Sellars is holding Clara and David hostage on the roof at OmniCorp. Alex is a broken mess after taking one too many bullets from Sellars’ drones. To make matters worse, Alex struggles to fight Sellars and his mind control device. Long story short, Alex’s programming influences his decisions, and Sellars is wearing a bracelet that prevents any harm. Sellars is about to pull the trigger to kill Clara and David, but Alex’s love for his family overcomes the odds. Alex’s fights Sellars and the mind control device, and Alex shoots and kills Sellars on the roof.

The corrupt dirty cops stuff feels so clichéd and redundant, and there’s no shock value for Andre and John as employees for Vallon, because RoboCop reveals the alliance in the early stages of the movie. But I’ll give RoboCop credit for the Chief Dean twist, because that’s a surprise I didn’t see coming.

The standoff on the roof? The sequence with Murphy fighting off the drones at OmnicCorp to save Clara and David features its fair share of thrills, but the standoff is predictable. You can see the happy ending with Alex fighting Sellars, and Alex’s reunion with his family coming from a mile away, but it’s a passable feel good moment.

Of course, the remake tries to explore the “Man VS Machine” dilemma, and the dangers of trusting an emotionless machine over a rational human being with feelings and reasoning. But the quandary never reaches thought-provoking levels, because the remake favors action and CGI, so the Man VS Machine stuff takes a backseat.

RoboCop is a harmless remake, but they stay in a safe zone here. You won’t see an effort to take any real risks, because RoboCop 2014 never reaches an embarrassingly awful low point. On the flip side of that, there’s no real attempt to create a different film with a bold vision. RoboCop 2014 is a safe and modernized version of the 1987 original, and the remake avoids a nomination for a spot in the Hall Of Shame for terrible remakes (i.e. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010).

Die hard fans of the ‘87 original will nitpick and tear this one apart, but RoboCop 2014 is a decent action/sci-fi film. Director Jose Padilha deserves credit for a handful of slick and hard hitting action sequences, and the cast is rock solid, featuring a few noteworthy performances from the veterans (Jackson, Haley, and Oldman).

Is RoboCop 2014 perfect? No. Ten years from now, will RoboCop 2014 join a lengthy list of forgettable and harmless remakes? Yeah, there’s a good chance that’s going to happen. Still, RoboCop 2014 could’ve been a lot worse. I set the bar low for this one, but RoboCop 2014 earned a spot on my list of pleasant surprises for 2014, so I‘ll go with a positive score.

Rating: 5/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Unbreakable (2000)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no plot twists, big reveals, or major surprises**

Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) was subjected to a life of loneliness and misery after an abnormal birth. Frightened at the sight of her broken baby, Elijah’s mother (Charlayne Woodard) learns the truth about Elijah’s crippling condition: Elijah suffers from a rare (and potentially fatal) degenerative bone disease. As a child, Elijah receives the nickname “Mr. Glass.” Elijah chooses a life of seclusion out of fear for more broken bones, but Elijah’s mother puts an end to her son’s self imposed exile from the outside world by promising him a new comic book every week. The catch? Elijah must go outside, and pick up the comic book under a park bench.

As an adult, Elijah owns and operates Limited Edition,  a gallery featuring comic book art. Out of paranoia and a devoted mission to locate his counterpart, Elijah embarks on a mission to find a real life superhero. Elijah’s search leads him to David Dunn (Bruce Willis), an ex football star, who chose a life as a security guard after a near fatal car accident in his twenties. David’s wife, Audrey (Robin Wright) and David’s son, Joesph (Joseph Treat Clark) have different reactions to Elijah’s beliefs of David being a superhero. As a young child, Joesph is awestruck at the possibility of his father being a real life superhero. On the flip side, Audrey believes Elijah is a lonely and bitter man, who views David as a reason to fill the many voids in his life.

David tries to balance a troubled relationship with Joesph, a broken marriage with Audrey, and the puzzling dilemma of being the sole survivor in a horrific train accident, while deciphering Elijah’s riddles about the supernatural and the unknown. David is left with two options during his journey towards the truth. He can ignore Elijah’s proclamations, or David can take a chance to test Elijha’s theories by assuming the identity of an anonymous crime fighter……..

When it comes to the acting department, the chemistry between Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis is the driving force, without a doubt. Character wise, they’re perfect foils for each other. Willis’ Dunn is this Average Joe, who’s content with his normal life as a security guard at a football stadium. But Jackson’s Elijah is this eccentric and jaded man, who pushes Dunn to go the extra mile, and find the answers to the curious questions that continue to plague his life. As far as the quality for Willis/Jackson collaborations go, I still believe we all witnessed the best from these two in Die Hard With A Vengeance, but the tandem of Elijah and David is a forced to be reckoned with.

Unbreakable is an absorbing and mysterious thriller with a majestic sense of wonder, featuring a truly shocking finale that’s guaranteed to leave you speechless. On top of that, Unbreakable features an unconventional superhero tale, because Willis isn’t flying around and smashing buildings, while using a bunch of fancy gadgets to fight the bad guys, and he’s not spouting a bunch of random and crony one-liners in every other scene. No. Instead, you’re engrossed in the story of this ordinary man, who’s trying to figure out his purpose in life, and as the story unravels, a common man is thrust into a threatening life-or-death situation, where he’s forced to confront the possibility of possessing an extraordinary gift.

Although, I have to admit, with hindsight as my ally, Unbreakable is a bittersweet film for me. M. Night Shyamalan’s career took a noticeable nosedive after The Village. Yes, he had Signs after Unbreakable, but it’s kind of hard to ignore the abominable disasters that followed Signs. The Village, Lady In The Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth more recently. Shyamalan committed career suicide, and I think it’s safe to say he’s in a deep hole right now. Yeah, there’s always a chance he can dig himself out, but we’re talking about about a guy, who’s almost solely responsible for a plethora of widely panned train wrecks.

Also, Shyamalan is someone, who needs a leash. Having so much creative control isn’t a good thing for him, especially when you consider his awful habit/obsession of trying to deliver a SHOCKING twist, because nine times out of ten, the “twist” doesn’t live up to the enormous expectations, or the intended shocking finale is a laughable embarrassment (i.e. The Village, and in all seriousness, there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe my hatred for The Village). When you consider all the potential, watching an Unbreakable, Signs, or Sixth Sense is a big letdown, because I’m reminded of a man, who was on the right track to becoming the next big thing in Hollywood.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Unbreakable (2000)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) was subjected to a life of loneliness and misery after an abnormal birth. Frightened at the sight of her broken baby, Elijah’s mother (Charlayne Woodard) learns the truth about Elijah’s crippling condition: Elijah suffers from a rare (and potentially fatal) degenerative bone disease. As a child, Elijah receives the nickname “Mr. Glass.” Elijah chooses a life of seclusion out of fear for more broken bones, but Elijah’s mother puts an end to her son’s self imposed exile from the outside world by promising him a new comic book every week. The catch? Elijah must go outside, and pick up the comic book under a park bench.

As an adult, Elijah owns and operates Limited Edition,  a gallery featuring comic book art. Out of paranoia and a devoted mission to locate his counterpart, Elijah embarks on a mission to find a real life superhero. Elijah’s search leads him to David Dunn (Bruce Willis), an ex football star, who chose a life as a security guard after a near fatal car accident in his twenties. David’s wife, Audrey (Robin Wright) and David’s son, Joesph (Joseph Treat Clark) have different reactions to Elijah’s beliefs of David being a superhero. As a young child, Joesph is awestruck at the possibility of his father being a real life superhero. On the flip side, Audrey believes Elijah is a lonely and bitter man, who views David as a reason to fill the many voids in his life.

David tries to balance a troubled relationship with Joesph, a broken marriage with Audrey, and the puzzling dilemma of being the sole survivor in a horrific train accident, while deciphering Elijah’s riddles about the supernatural and the unknown. David is left with two options during his journey towards the truth. He can ignore Elijah’s proclamations, or David can take a chance to test Elijha’s theories by assuming the identity of an anonymous crime fighter……..

When it comes to the acting department, the chemistry between Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis is the driving force, without a doubt. Character wise, they’re perfect foils for each other. Willis’ Dunn is this Average Joe, who’s content with his normal life as a security guard at a football stadium. But Jackson’s Elijah is this eccentric and jaded man, who pushes Dunn to go the extra mile, and find the answers to the curious questions that continue to plague his life. As far as the quality for Willis/Jackson collaborations go, I still believe we all witnessed the best from these two in Die Hard With A Vengeance, but the tandem of Elijah and David is a forced to be reckoned with.

So, is David Dunn a real life superhero? Well, through a serious of tests (including Joseph testing David’s limits on a bench press in the garage by adding more weights with each set) and teasing, we get the answer we’ve been waiting for towards the end of the film. Dunn takes a chance to test his powers by saving the victims of a home invasion. Although, David runs into a BIG problem, when he encounters his only true weakness: Water. David is drowning in the victim’s pool, but he’s rescued by the children at the last second. David returns to catch the killer in a chokehold. The killer struggles to break free, but David’s super strength is too much for him, and Dunn is able to kill the perpetrator……but it’s not over yet.

Dunn takes a trip to Elijah’s exhibit at Limited Edition. Here, David thanks Elijah for pushing him to realize the true potential of his powers. But Dunn uses a newfound power to unravel Elijah’s shocking secret. Unbeknownst to David, he possessed clairvoyant powers for many years. David accidentally discovered this gift by bumping into various criminals (David’s clairvoyant powers only work, if he touches the evildoer) at a train station. After shaking Elijah’s hand, David is able to see every little detail in Elijah’s dark past. Elijah is the one, who caused the train accident, and Elijah orchestrated and committed various acts of terrorism throughout the United States. Why? Because Elijah was trying to force David out of hiding. Playing the role of David’s real life adversary, Elijah believes his acts of terrorism are justified, because the hero needs a villain to feud against. Of course, David reports Elijah to the police, and Elijah is forced to live out the rest of his days in an institution for the criminally insane.

A great twist. Willis did a wonderful job of selling the heartbreak and devastation  after discovering the truth behind Elijah’s alter ego as a real villain, and Jackson’s delusional pleas towards Wills as he leaves Limited Edition with his back turned are executed to perfection. You really get the sense Mr. Glass believed in the justified morality of his crimes to lure David out into the open. It’s a great shocker, because you can see David wanted to believe in his friendship with Elijah, but he’s crushed after Elijah reveals himself as the culprit.

Unbreakable is an absorbing and mysterious thriller with a majestic sense of wonder, featuring a truly shocking finale that’s guaranteed to leave you speechless. On top of that, Unbreakable features an unconventional superhero tale, because Willis isn’t flying around and smashing buildings, while using a bunch of fancy gadgets to fight the bad guys, and he’s not spouting a bunch of random and crony one-liners in every other scene. No. Instead, you’re engrossed in the story of this ordinary man, who’s trying to figure out his purpose in life, and as the story unravels, a common man is thrust into a threatening life-or-death situation, where he’s forced to confront the possibility of possessing an extraordinary gift.

Although, I have to admit, with hindsight as my ally, Unbreakable is a bittersweet film for me. M. Night Shyamalan’s career took a noticeable nosedive after The Village. Yes, he had Signs after Unbreakable, but it’s kind of hard to ignore the abominable disasters that followed Signs. The Village, Lady In The Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth more recently. Shyamalan committed career suicide, and I think it’s safe to say he’s in a deep hole right now. Yeah, there’s always a chance he can dig himself out, but we’re talking about about a guy, who’s almost solely responsible for a plethora of widely panned train wrecks.

Also, Shyamalan is someone, who needs a leash. Having so much creative control isn’t a good thing for him, especially when you consider his awful habit/obsession of trying to deliver a SHOCKING twist, because nine times out of ten, the “twist” doesn’t live up to the enormous expectations, or the intended shocking finale is a laughable embarrassment (i.e. The Village, and in all seriousness, there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe my hatred for The Village). When you consider all the potential, watching an Unbreakable, Signs, or Sixth Sense is a big letdown, because I’m reminded of a man, who was on the right track to becoming the next big thing in Hollywood.

Rating: 8/10

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Django Unchained (2012)

So after three years of waiting for his next film, I FINALLY watched Django Unchained last night.

As expected, the acting was just phenomenal, and Tarantino is a master of assembling the perfect cast. Jamie Foxx really nailed Django, and yes, he was believable as a bad ass. The whipping scars and his scruffy hair-do helped pull everything together, but Foxx really put his heart and soul into this character. Christoph Waltz's performance as Dr. King Schultz resembled Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds. You know, the devious and sophisticated gentlemen with a nasty side. Of course, Schultz is one of the good guys here. And she doesn't speak too much, but Kerry Washington did a wonderful job of using her body language to express fear and anxiety through a series of facial expressions.

The Brittle Brothers and Big Daddy (Don Johnson) don't last long, but when their characters appear, Leo and Sam Jackson make up for the void of lost bad guys. Sam Jackson didn't just deliver his best performance in a Quentin Tarantino film, this is the best performance I've seen from him in any film. Stephen is the sniveling and loyal house for slave for Calvin Candie (Leo). He's they type of antagonist that you can hate and pity, and Stephen provides a few laughs every now and then.

And Leonardo DiCaprio was just fantastic as Calvin Candie. Candie is the merciless and powerful slave owner. Leo has a strong presence on screen, as this delightfully evil slave owner, and his intense and charismatic performance is so fun to watch. Plus, the woman, who plays Calvin's ditzy and snobbish sister (can't find her name) deserves some credit for the A+ cast of antagonists.

For me, Django was an upgrade over Inglorious Basterds. I won't put it up on the pedestal with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. It's in the pack with Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Jackie Brown, and that's not bad at all. Tarantino didn't revolutionize the Western genre with this film, but Django is an enjoyable revenge flick.

And now it's time for my major gripe with this film. I don't know about everyone else, but I hard time getting into the mentorship/training storyline with Django and Schultz. I understand the reasons behind Tarantino wanting to show Django's road to being a bad ass, but the initial storyline between Schultz and Django just drags and drags, and truth be told, it's very uninteresting at times. It wasn't unbearably bad, but Django Unchained doesn't kick into high gear until Candie and Stephen come into the picture.

Django Unchained is brutal, bloody, violent, funny, and Tarantino spares no expense for the hard to watch moments in this film. The dialogue is sharp, and the "we can't see anything through these masks!" scene with Jonah Hill, and Don Johnson is hilarious. And Tarantino's cameo is just priceless. Although, I wish I could've seen more of Walton Goggins, because he doesn't appear until the end.

Also, as far as the music goes, with the exception of "Ain't No Grave," and the opening Django theme, everything else was sub par. I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure I heard a Tupac song during the final shootout/Django's last stand, but it wasn't something to remember.

Final Rating: 9/10

EXTRA TIDBIT: After thinking it over for a day, I've come to conclusion that Django Unchained deserves a higher score, so I'm bumping it up one point!