The Marine (2006)(Minor Spoilers Review)

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

During a mission in Iraq, a Marine Sergeant named John Triton (John Cena) disobeys a direct order to save a kidnapped comrade from a brutal execution. Triton rescues the Marine, but he receives an honorable discharge from his Colonel after the mission.

At home, John is having trouble adjusting to the real world. John takes a job as a security guard at an office building, but John’s temper gets the best of him one day. John throws a disgruntled and bitter ex-boyfriend through a window on the lobby, and John is fired for his actions. John’s wife, Kate (Kelly Carlson) suggests a road trip to help John relax and forget about any problems from real life for a while, and John agrees.

John and Kate stop at a gas station to refuel. Here, the happy married couple are forced to deal with a gang of deadly jewel thieves. During a tense conversation, Rome (Robert Patrick), the leader and the mastermind of the group, tries to come up with an excuse to get rid of a suspicious police officer.

The crew includes Morgan (Anthony Ray Parker), Bennett (Manu Bennett), Vescera (Damon Gibson), and Rome’s girlfriend/sidekick, Angela (Abigail Bianca), and they’re closely watching the conversation between Rome and the police officer, waiting for the right moment to make their next move. Morgan panics at the sight of law enforcement, so he shoots and kills the officer, who’s talking to Rome. The crew kidnaps Kate for collateral, and John is knocked out by a fire extinguisher to the back of the head before he has a chance to save Kate.

Rome leads the crew through a swamp with Kate as their hostage. Rome tries to figure out a plan for stolen diamonds from a recent heist, but John refuses to give up on the rescue mission for Kate. John receives the green light to pursue Rome and his crew from a detective named Van Buren (Jerome Ehlers), and he won’t stop until Kate is safe. John is determined to tear through every member of Rome’s crew one by one, but an unexpected revelation from an unlikely traitor could jeopardize John’s rescue mission……..

Kudos to John Cena for a strong effort in the leading role. John Triton is an ass-kicking machine, who won’t quit in The Marine, and John Cena is a capable leading man. Some will say Cena is too robotic in the leading role, but Triton is a man with a three step process: Hunt, fight, and destroy. That’s it. Cena has the build and look of a tough guy, so the Triton character is a perfect fit for him, because you’re not asking Cena to go above and beyond with a versatile performance. And if you’re familiar with his WWE career, you should know Cena’s character is known for overcoming insurmountable odds and heroic comebacks.

Robert Patrick delivers a solid performance, but the Rome character is too bland. Basically, Patrick’s character is limited to spitting out a few lines of devilish and witty dialogue every now and then, but we’re  SUPPOSED to believe he’s this cerebral bad guy? Kelly Carlson is a cute face, who screams for help a lot, while kicking and fighting the bad guys during a handful of failed escape attempts, and that’s it.

The members of Rome’s crew are generic goons for the most part. Abigail Bianca’s Angela is supposed to be this lethal psycho with a mean streak, but when it’s all said and done, Bianca is just eye candy. And there’s no other way to say this, but Anthony Ray Parker’s Morgan is a paranoid “black man,” who feels the need to pull the race card every five minutes. There’s a good chance you won’t have any middle ground for this character. Parker’s shtick might pull a few cheap laughs out of you, or his routine will reach a “too annoying” point after ten minutes.

The Marine is a mindless fun action flick, if you don’t over-think the story. If you analyze The Marine step by step, you’ll probably hate this film with a burning, white hot passion. You’ll wonder why a detective would trust and allow a civilian to track down murderous jewel thieves. You’ll question the competence of a cop, who can’t arrest an unarmed man, and there’s no way you’ll buy into Triton’s miraculous escapes from big explosions.

For me, The Marine is a fun film for action junkies. Yeah, the final battle is underwhelming, and it’s hard to ignore the “been there, done that” twist. But The Marine delivers enough hard-hitting fight sequences, and over the top thrills for me to look the other way. On top of that, the one hour and thirty-three minutes runtime feels like a breeze, because The Marine maintains a hectic fast pace. The Marine receives a lot of hate as a preposterous mess, but I’m going with a bare minimum guilty pleasure pass for this one.

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

The Marine (2006)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

During a mission in Iraq, a Marine Sergeant named John Triton (John Cena) disobeys a direct order to save a kidnapped comrade from a brutal execution. Triton rescues the Marine, but he receives an honorable discharge from his Colonel after the mission.

At home, John is having trouble adjusting to the real world. John takes a job as a security guard at an office building, but John’s temper gets the best of him one day. John throws a disgruntled and bitter ex-boyfriend through a window on the lobby, and John is fired for his actions. John’s wife, Kate (Kelly Carlson) suggests a road trip to help John relax and forget about any problems from real life for a while, and John agrees.

John and Kate stop at a gas station to refuel. Here, the happy married couple are forced to deal with a gang of deadly jewel thieves. During a tense conversation, Rome (Robert Patrick), the leader and the mastermind of the group, tries to come up with an excuse to get rid of a suspicious police officer.

The crew includes Morgan (Anthony Ray Parker), Bennett (Manu Bennett), Vescera (Damon Gibson), and Rome’s girlfriend/sidekick, Angela (Abigail Bianca), and they’re closely watching the conversation between Rome and the police officer, waiting for the right moment to make their next move. Morgan panics at the sight of law enforcement, so he shoots and kills the officer, who’s talking to Rome. The crew kidnaps Kate for collateral, and John is knocked out by a fire extinguisher to the back of the head before he has a chance to save Kate.

Rome leads the crew through a swamp with Kate as their hostage. Rome tries to figure out a plan for stolen diamonds from a recent heist, but John refuses to give up on the rescue mission for Kate. John receives the green light to pursue Rome and his crew from a detective named Van Buren (Jerome Ehlers), and he won’t stop until Kate is safe. John is determined to tear through every member of Rome’s crew one by one, but an unexpected revelation from an unlikely traitor could jeopardize John’s rescue mission……..

Kudos to John Cena for a strong effort in the leading role. John Triton is an ass-kicking machine, who won’t quit in The Marine, and John Cena is a capable leading man. Some will say Cena is too robotic in the leading role, but Triton is a man with a three step process: Hunt, fight, and destroy. That’s it. Cena has the build and look of a tough guy, so the Triton character is a perfect fit for him, because you’re not asking Cena to go above and beyond with a versatile performance. And if you’re familiar with his WWE career, you should know Cena’s character is known for overcoming insurmountable odds and heroic comebacks.

Robert Patrick delivers a solid performance, but the Rome character is too bland. Basically, Patrick’s character is limited to spitting out a few lines of devilish and witty dialogue every now and then, but we’re  SUPPOSED to believe he’s this cerebral bad guy? Kelly Carlson is a cute face, who screams for help a lot, while kicking and fighting the bad guys during a handful of failed escape attempts, and that’s it.

The members of Rome’s crew are generic goons for the most part. Abigail Bianca’s Angela is supposed to be this lethal psycho with a mean streak, but when it’s all said and done, Bianca is just eye candy. And there’s no other way to say this, but Anthony Ray Parker’s Morgan is a paranoid “black man,” who feels the need to pull the race card every five minutes. There’s a good chance you won’t have any middle ground for this character. Parker’s shtick might pull a few cheap laughs out of you, or his routine will reach a “too annoying” point after ten minutes.

The lone twist in The Marine is a real head-scratcher. Remember Detective Van Buren? Apparently he’s in cahoots with Rome and his crew, and he used John to lead him to Rome’s hideout (some old broken down lodge in the swamp). Here, it’s revealed Van Buren is the mysterious partner, who spoke with Rome on the phone throughout the movie. Van Buren holds a gun to John’s head, and he demands his “cut” from the diamond heist, but Rome turns the tables on Van Buren. Rome shoots Van Buren to death, and Rome escapes (again) with Kate and Angela, leaving John alone.

But it’s not over yet! John turns the tables on an arresting officer, and he steals his boat. Eventually, John catches up to Rome and Angela at a marina. John kills Angela (finishing off the remainder of Rome’s crew) by throwing her out of a speeding truck with Rome as the driver.

Rome steers the speeding truck (with a handcuffed Kate inside) into the water, so now John is free to slug it out with Rome one on one. John wins the fight, when a pile of flaming debris crushes Rome, and John rescues Kate from the truck. John gives Kate CPR, but a charred Rome returns to finish what he started. But a resourceful John uses a chain to choke out and kill Rome.

The Van Buren twist? Yes, it’s a surprise, because I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming, but the “dirty cop” twist is so clichéd, so there’s no real shock factor to Van Buren as a bad guy here. The big showdown between Rome and Triton is kind of underwhelming for a few reasons. First, Triton’s duels with Rome’s henchmen (i.e. the fight with Morgan at the lodge) were more entertaining, and it’s not even close, so Triton’s previous bouts undermine the big finale.

And to add insult to injury, Rome’s demise is tamed, when you compare his death to the deaths of the other bad guys in the film. Vescera’s body is devoured by alligators, and moments before the fight with Rome, you’ll see Angela thrown out of a speeding truck, and she flies into the windshield of a bus. That’s a shocking death. Sorry, but Rome is the primary antagonist, so he’s supposed to suffer the most brutal death.

The Marine is a mindless fun action flick, if you don’t over-think the story. If you analyze The Marine step by step, you’ll probably hate this film with a burning, white hot passion. You’ll wonder why a detective would trust and allow a civilian to track down murderous jewel thieves. You’ll question the competence of a cop, who can’t arrest an unarmed man, and there’s no way you’ll buy into Triton’s miraculous escapes from big explosions.

For me, The Marine is a fun film for action junkies. Yeah, the final battle is underwhelming, and it’s hard to ignore the “been there, done that” twist. But The Marine delivers enough hard-hitting fight sequences, and over the top thrills for me to look the other way. On top of that, the one hour and thirty-three minutes runtime feels like a breeze, because The Marine maintains a hectic fast pace. The Marine receives a lot of hate as a preposterous mess, but I’m going with a bare minimum guilty pleasure pass for this one.

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

Grudge Match (2013)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major reveals or twists**

In the 1980‘s, two bitter boxing rivals go their separate ways after a series of fights. Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (Robert De Niro) and Henry “Razor” Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) are locked in a tie after Henry defeats McDonnen in the rematch to even the score, but Sharp suddenly retires before the highly anticipated grudge match.

Thirty years later, McDonnen is the owner of a popular bar and restaurant, and McDonnen also owns a car lot. Sharp is working a job at a shipyard, and he’s running out of money and options to take care of his elderly trainer, Louis “Lighting” Conlon (Alan Arkin).

Sharp is stuck in a dead end life until a promoter named Dante Slate, Jr. (Kevin Hart) approaches him with a tempting offer. If Sharp participates in a motion capture session for a new boxing video game featuring himself and McDonnen, Sharp will earn a $15, 000 paycheck. But Sharp loses his cool, when McDonnen crashes the session to antagonize him. A video of the brawl between McDonnen and Sharp goes viral on YouTube, and Dante plans a grudge match. McDonnen accepts, because he’s eager to prove his one loss to Sharp was a fluke, but Sharp has no interest in a third match.

Sharp is dead-set on avoiding McDonnen for the rest of his life, but the reemergence of Sharp’s ex-girlfriend changes everything. Sally (Kim Basinger) stirs up some old feelings in Sharp, and Sharp takes some time to reconsider the fight with McDonnen.

Sharp is without a job, and the $15, 000 won’t last long, so he agrees to fight McDonnen in the highly anticipated rematch. Lighting trains Sharp, and McDonnen’s estranged son, B.J. (Jon Bernthal) trains and bonds with his father, so they can make up for years of lost time. Dante dubs the rematch between McDonnen and Sharp as “Grudgement Day,” but the lifelong rivals endure a series of setbacks on the road to the big fight.

Stallone and De Niro share excellent chemistry, as a pair of heated rivals. It’s a rivalry between the humble blue-collar worker (Stallone), who wants to put the past behind him, and the pompous jerk (De Niro) with a big ego, who refuses to move on. Stallone and De Niro deliver a pair of enjoyable performances in Grudge Match, and both men bring out the best in each other, when they’re sharing the screen together.

Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin provide some good comic relief. Arkin is the grizzled boxing trainer, with a combative sense of humor, as the crabby old man. Hart is the loudmouth and obnoxious promoter, and he’s caught up in this fantasy world, as a delusional big shot. Hart and Arkin take second place (Stallone and De Niro are still number one) for feuding duos in Grudge Match, and you’ll see a pair of solid performances from Basinger and Bernthal. And LL Cool J has a role as Frankie here. Frankie is this flashy and egotistical trainer, who  allows McDonnen to train at his popular gym. LL is a believable jerk, and Frankie has a few funny moments with McDonnen during some “low blow” scenes.

Rocky VS Jake LaMotta (or “The Raging Bull”)? Yeah, it’s almost impossible to ignore the connections. De Niro’s portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese’s timeless classic Raging Bull is one of De Niro’s more famous roles, and he earned a Best Actor Oscar for his performance. And we all know Stallone’s history with Rocky. I’ll tell you this, if you’re expecting some kind of epic boxing match between The Bull and The Italian Stallion in Grudge Match, you should probably watch another boxing film, because this one is not for you.

For the people complaining about the believability and choreography in the final fight between De Niro and Stallone, I have one question: What were you expecting? Sylvester Stallone is sixty-seven years old, and De Niro is seventy. You can’t expect a believable five star classic boxing match, with both men throwing haymakers at each other round after round. It’s not 1980 (the release year for Raging Bull), and Stallone is not shredded from head to toe during his more brutal fights with Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago. Stallone said it best as Razor during a scene with Kim Basinger. Sally is begging Razor to back out of the fight, because Razor and Kid are too old and beat up to deliver a quality fight. Razor’s response for effort and the quality of the fight? “It’s the best we’ve got.”

Some will say Grudge Match is too corny, predictable, sappy, and clichéd to enjoy, but I loved every second of this one. Grudge Match should provide tingly feelings of nostalgia for devout De Niro and Stallone fans, because the veterans bring their A-games here. It’s a nice trip down memory lane, featuring some good consistent laughs, and Rocky fans should catch the meat locker wink (just pay close attention to the trailers. It’s not hard to miss it).

If you over-analyze Grudge Match, you'll hate this film. But if you take the time to have some fun without nitpicking every little detail, you’ll enjoy Grudge Match as a nostalgic treat, with two legends squaring off in a once in a lifetime match to remember.

Rating: 6/10

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

Grudge Match (2013)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**


In the 1980‘s, two bitter boxing rivals go their separate ways after a series of fights. Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (Robert De Niro) and Henry “Razor” Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) are locked in a tie after Henry defeats McDonnen in the rematch to even the score, but Sharp suddenly retires before the highly anticipated grudge match.

Thirty years later, McDonnen is the owner of a popular bar and restaurant, and McDonnen also owns a car lot. Sharp is working a job at a shipyard, and he’s running out of money and options to take care of his elderly trainer, Louis “Lighting” Conlon (Alan Arkin).

Sharp is stuck in a dead end life until a promoter named Dante Slate, Jr. (Kevin Hart) approaches him with a tempting offer. If Sharp participates in a motion capture session for a new boxing video game featuring himself and McDonnen, Sharp will earn a $15, 000 paycheck. But Sharp loses his cool, when McDonnen crashes the session to antagonize him. A video of the brawl between McDonnen and Sharp goes viral on YouTube, and Dante plans a grudge match. McDonnen accepts, because he’s eager to prove his one loss to Sharp was a fluke, but Sharp has no interest in a third match.

Sharp is dead-set on avoiding McDonnen for the rest of his life, but the reemergence of Sharp’s ex-girlfriend changes everything. Sally (Kim Basinger) stirs up some old feelings in Sharp, and Sharp takes some time to reconsider the fight with McDonnen.

Sharp is without a job, and the $15, 000 won’t last long, so he agrees to fight McDonnen in the highly anticipated rematch. Lighting trains Sharp, and McDonnen’s estranged son, B.J. (Jon Bernthal) trains and bonds with his father, so they can make up for years of lost time. Dante dubs the rematch between McDonnen and Sharp as “Grudgement Day,” but the lifelong rivals endure a series of setbacks on the road to the big fight.

Stallone and De Niro share excellent chemistry, as a pair of heated rivals. It’s a rivalry between the humble blue-collar worker (Stallone), who wants to put the past behind him, and the pompous jerk (De Niro) with a big ego, who refuses to move on. Stallone and De Niro deliver a pair of enjoyable performances in Grudge Match, and both men bring out the best in each other, when they’re sharing the screen together.

Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin provide some good comic relief. Arkin is the grizzled boxing trainer, with a combative sense of humor, as the crabby old man. Hart is the loudmouth and obnoxious promoter, and he’s caught up in this fantasy world, as a delusional big shot. Hart and Arkin take second place (Stallone and De Niro are still number one) for feuding duos in Grudge Match, and you’ll see a pair of solid performances from Basinger and Bernthal. And LL Cool J has a role as Frankie here. Frankie is this flashy and egotistical trainer, who  allows McDonnen to train at his popular gym. LL is a believable jerk, and Frankie has a few funny moments with McDonnen during some “low blow” scenes.

Why does Razor hate McDonnen so much? Remember Sally? Well, Sally thought Razor was cheating on her after she spotted him with another woman years ago. So Sally wanted revenge, and she used McDonnen to stick it to Razor. That’s right. Sally slept with Kid, and B.J. is Kid’s son, but Sally shielded B.J. from McDonnen to protect him from a bad influence.

Keep in my mind, all this happened in the 80’s after the second fight between Razor and Kid. So a devastated Razor retired out of nowhere, robbing Kid of his precious rematch, because Razor knew boxing was everything to Kid. Kid stole Razor’s number one love in life, so Razor returned the favor by retiring, and refusing to participate in a rematch, and for years, Razor held a grudge against Sally.

Okay, so now we know why Razor and Kid hate each other so much. Who wins the fight? Well, it wasn’t easy, but Razor gutted it out to defeat Kid in a nasty slugfest. Kid targeted Razor’s main weakness (blindness from Razor’s left eye), but humility got the best of Kid in the end. Kid and Razor show  sportsmanship towards each other during the final stages of the fight. Kid helps Razor to his feet, and Razor helps Kid to his feet to break the separate ten counts. In the end, Razor enjoys his victory by celebrating with Sally and Lighting. In the losing corner, a more humble Kid celebrates with B.J. and his grandson.

Yeah, you could see Kid’s change of heart coming from a mile away, but I still enjoyed the moment of two old rivals burying the hatchet. It’s a feel good sequence, when Kid and Razor help each other stand up towards the end of the fight, because both men had to settle the score once and for all, and they refused to quit on each other. Also, you should stick around for a couple of hilarious post credit scenes. The first one shows Razor, Dante, and Lighting sitting around together, and they’re watching Kid compete on Dancing With The Stars, while Dante is (unknowingly) soaking his feet in horse urine as a suggestion from Lighting. The second post credit scene shows Dante with Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, and Dante is trying to close a deal for a grudge match between both men. Good stuff.

Rocky VS Jake LaMotta (or “The Raging Bull”)? Yeah, it’s almost impossible to ignore the connections. De Niro’s portrayal of Jake LaMotta in Martin Scorsese’s timeless classic Raging Bull is one of De Niro’s more famous roles, and he earned a Best Actor Oscar for his performance. And we all know Stallone’s history with Rocky. I’ll tell you this, if you’re expecting some kind of epic boxing match between The Bull and The Italian Stallion in Grudge Match, you should probably watch another boxing film, because this one is not for you.

For the people complaining about the believability and choreography in the final fight between De Niro and Stallone, I have one question: What were you expecting? Sylvester Stallone is sixty-seven years old, and De Niro is seventy. You can’t expect a believable five star classic boxing match, with both men throwing haymakers at each other round after round. It’s not 1980 (the release year for Raging Bull), and Stallone is not shredded from head to toe during his more brutal fights with Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago. Stallone said it best as Razor during a scene with Kim Basinger. Sally is begging Razor to back out of the fight, because Razor and Kid are too old and beat up to deliver a quality fight. Razor’s response for effort and the quality of the fight? “It’s the best we’ve got.”

Some will say Grudge Match is too corny, predictable, sappy, and clichéd to enjoy, but I loved every second of this one. Grudge Match should provide tingly feelings of nostalgia for devout De Niro and Stallone fans, because the veterans bring their A-games here. It’s a nice trip down memory lane, featuring some good consistent laughs, and Rocky fans should catch the meat locker wink (just pay close attention to the trailers. It’s not hard to miss it).

If you over-analyze Grudge Match, you'll hate this film. But if you take the time to have some fun without nitpicking every little detail, you’ll enjoy Grudge Match as a nostalgic treat, with two legends squaring off in a once in a lifetime match to remember.

Rating: 6/10

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

Identity (2003)(Minor Spoilers Review)

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

Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is a death row inmate, and he’s twenty-four hours away from his execution. But Malcolm’s psychiatrist, Dr. Malick (Alfred Molina) tries to convince Judge Taylor (Holmes Osborne) to change his ruling, allowing Malcolm to live out the rest of his days in a psychiatric hospital under his care. Dr. Malick uses Malcolm’s journals during an emergency meeting at a courthouse in a last-ditch effort to save Malcolm’s life, but Dr. Malick’s demonstration during Malcolm’s  face to face meeting with Judge Taylor takes an unexpected turn, when Malcolm is forced to confront his worst fears.

Meanwhile, during a heavy rainstorm in Nevada, a limo driver/ex-police officer driver named Ed (John Cusack) is looking for a safe path on the slippery roads ahead. In the backseat, Ed’s client, Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay), a disgruntled TV star from the 80’s, orders Ed to look for a replacement battery for her cellphone. Ed takes his eyes off the road for a split second, and he accidentally hits Alice York (Lelia Kenzle). Alice’s young son, Timmy York (Bret Loehr) is horrified at the sight of his wounded mother, but Ed agrees to help Alice, Timmy, and Timmy’s stepfather, George (John C. McGinely) with a ride to the nearest motel.

At the motel, Ed, Caroline, Alice, Timmy, and George meet the owner and manager, Larry (John Hawkes). Alice needs medical attention, but the roads are flooded, the phone lines are down, and cell phones are useless without reception. Eventually, more travelers seek shelter inside the motel. The newlyweds, Ginny (Clea DuVall) and Lou (William Lee Scott) are trying to work out problems in their rocky relationship; a cop named Rhodes (Ray Liotta) is escorting his prisoner, Robert (Jake Busey) to another prison; and Paris (Amanda Peet), a prostitute,  is forced into the motel after an unexpected breakdown.

Alice is bleeding to death, and the group is forced to deal with another problem during the rainstorm: an unknown killer is stalking everyone in the motel. The killer quietly eliminates everyone in the motel, and escape is not an option. Ed, Rhodes, and others struggle to solve the mystery behind the killer and his motivations before sunrise, but a series of shocking revelations complicate the investigation……….

If I had to pick one person for the best performance, I would give the nod to John Cusack. Cusack is a solid leading man as Ed. His performance isn’t mind-blowing, but Cusack does enough to justify an increased amount of focus and screen time. Amanda Peet is serviceable as Paris, and you’ll see Peet’s best scenes during her rivalry with Larry. Larry detests prostitutes, and you can feel the disdain between these two during a series of dueling verbal jabs. Ray Liotta? He’s not bad, but his performance as Rhodes is passable at best, and that’s it.

Rebecca De Mornay had the chance to steal the show, as the snobbish and pompous TV star with en ego, but her screen time is cut short here. William Lee Scott is the typical overbearing boyfriend, who openly flirts with Paris, and of course, he verbally abuses Ginny. Clea DuVall is a panicky and frightened mess, as Ginny. Jake Busey is decent enough as the creepy convicted killer with a dark side, and John C. McGinely is believable, as the nerdy and soft spoken stepfather, who’s trying to do the right thing.

I know I say this a lot, but you REALLY have to strap yourself into suspension of disbelief mode for Identity. Maybe I’m the only, who feels this way, but when it comes to reactions, you’ll hate the twists at the end, because you’re in the “too far-fetched” crowd. Or, you’re jaw will hit the floor, when Identity reveals the killer.

Hindsight (probably my second or third watch for Identity. First time in a LONG time, but still) kills a lot of the shock value for me, but Identity earned a spot on my list of favorites. It’s an eerie and suspenseful mystery/thriller, featuring a series of genuinely shocking twists during the jaw-dropping finale, and you‘ll see the gruesome aftermath of unfortunate victims (i.e. Robert‘s mangled corpse with a baseball bat stuck in his throat…yikes).

Identity does a wonderful job of playing mind games with the audience during the constant finger-pointing in a deadly whodunit game of cat and mouse. The desolate motel in a fierce rainstorm is a perfect setting for the main characters, because it’s an isolated deathtrap, and this setting enhances feelings of desperation and claustrophobia. In the end, Identity is a must-see film, easily. As I said before, when it comes to the twists at the end, it’s an even split for which side of the fence you’ll be on. You’ll hate or love the reasons behind the revelations for the killer, but one thing’s for sure, it’s impossible to resist the urge to decipher, question, and analyze Identity’s memorable and thought-provoking finale.

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

Identity (2003)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is a death row inmate, and he’s twenty-four hours away from his execution. But Malcolm’s psychiatrist, Dr. Malick (Alfred Molina) tries to convince Judge Taylor (Holmes Osborne) to change his ruling, allowing Malcolm to live out the rest of his days in a psychiatric hospital under his care. Dr. Malick uses Malcolm’s journals during an emergency meeting at a courthouse in a last-ditch effort to save Malcolm’s life, but Dr. Malick’s demonstration during Malcolm’s  face to face meeting with Judge Taylor takes an unexpected turn, when Malcolm is forced to confront his worst fears.

Meanwhile, during a heavy rainstorm in Nevada, a limo driver/ex-police officer driver named Ed (John Cusack) is looking for a safe path on the slippery roads ahead. In the backseat, Ed’s client, Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay), a disgruntled TV star from the 80’s, orders Ed to look for a replacement battery for her cellphone. Ed takes his eyes off the road for a split second, and he accidentally hits Alice York (Lelia Kenzle). Alice’s young son, Timmy York (Bret Loehr) is horrified at the sight of his wounded mother, but Ed agrees to help Alice, Timmy, and Timmy’s stepfather, George (John C. McGinely) with a ride to the nearest motel.

At the motel, Ed, Caroline, Alice, Timmy, and George meet the owner and manager, Larry (John Hawkes). Alice needs medical attention, but the roads are flooded, the phone lines are down, and cell phones are useless without reception. Eventually, more travelers seek shelter inside the motel. The newlyweds, Ginny (Clea DuVall) and Lou (William Lee Scott) are trying to work out problems in their rocky relationship; a cop named Rhodes (Ray Liotta) is escorting his prisoner, Robert (Jake Busey) to another prison; and Paris (Amanda Peet), a prostitute,  is forced into the motel after an unexpected breakdown.

Alice is bleeding to death, and the group is forced to deal with another problem during the rainstorm: an unknown killer is stalking everyone in the motel. The killer quietly eliminates everyone in the motel, and escape is not an option. Ed, Rhodes, and others struggle to solve the mystery behind the killer and his motivations before sunrise, but a series of shocking revelations complicate the investigation……….

If I had to pick one person for the best performance, I would give the nod to John Cusack. Cusack is a solid leading man as Ed. His performance isn’t mind-blowing, but Cusack does enough to justify an increased amount of focus and screen time. Amanda Peet is serviceable as Paris, and you’ll see Peet’s best scenes during her rivalry with Larry. Larry detests prostitutes, and you can feel the disdain between these two during a series of dueling verbal jabs. Ray Liotta? He’s not bad, but his performance as Rhodes is passable at best, and that’s it.

Rebecca De Mornay had the chance to steal the show, as the snobbish and pompous TV star with en ego, but her screen time is cut short here. William Lee Scott is the typical overbearing boyfriend, who openly flirts with Paris, and of course, he verbally abuses Ginny. Clea DuVall is a panicky and frightened mess, as Ginny. Jake Busey is decent enough as the creepy convicted killer with a dark side, and John C. McGinely is believable, as the nerdy and soft spoken stepfather, who’s trying to do the right thing.

Who’s the killer? Is it Rhodes? Larry? Robert? Well, the answer to all three is a big no. On top of that, you can omit EVERYONE from the motel. Why? Because they’re not real. Remember Malcolm Rivers? Malcolm suffers from a severe case of dissociative identity disorder. Malcolm’s mind is cluttered with ten different personalities, and each person at the motel represents one of Malcolm’s personalities. One of the personalities took control of Malcolm’s body, and this personality forced Malcolm to commit the murders. The motel, the ten strangers, the rainstorm, the floods. It’s all fake, and Malcolm is playing out one of Dr. Malick’s elaborate scenarios in his mind, because Malcolm must “eliminate” the murderous personality to avoid his execution.

For a moment, Malcolm snaps out of the motel scenario as Ed, but Dr. Malick pushes Malcolm to return to the scenario in his mind (as Ed) to finish what he started, and eliminate the killer. Rhodes, Paris, and Ed are the sole survivors after Rhodes (an escaped convict, who posed as a cop for a decoy, and Robert was his prison buddy) murders Larry. Ed and Rhodes kill each other in a shoot out, so Paris is the sole survivor. A calm Malcolm finishes the scenario in Judge Taylor’s presence, so Judge Taylor agrees to Dr. Malick’s terms: Malcolm will live out the rest of his life in a mental hospital under Malick’s supervision and care.   

At dawn (we‘re jumping into the motel scenario again), Paris uses Larry’s truck to drive to her hometown of Frostproof, Florida to start over.  One day, Paris is out in the garden, and she finds a motel room key with the number one on the front. Long story short, the killer placed room keys from the motel on the dead bodies of his victims as a calling card.

Anyway, Paris picks up the key with this terrified look on her face……and Timmy is standing in front of her. Yep. Timmy was the murderous personality in Malcolm’s mind, but Timmy survived the massacre at the motel. Timmy eliminates (or murders) Paris, so Timmy takes full control of Malcolm’s body. Ed and Paris are gone, so Malcolm can’t rely on sensible reasoning or logic anymore. In the van with Dr. Malick and a guard, Malcolm (under Timmy’s influence) uses his handcuffs to strangle Dr. Malick. The driver panics, and the van skids into the desert to end the movie.

Identity packs a powerful punch with a series of genuinely shocking twists at the end. Malcolm living in a dream world, and everyone at the motel being an imaginary person in Malcolm's mind? If you predicted all of that with no bumps in the road, then I need to borrow your crystal ball for a weekend.

I know I say this a lot, but you REALLY have to strap yourself into suspension of disbelief mode for Identity. Maybe I’m the only, who feels this way, but when it comes to reactions, you’ll hate the twists at the end, because you’re in the “too far-fetched” crowd. Or, you’re jaw will hit the floor, when Identity reveals the killer.

Hindsight (probably my second or third watch for Identity. First time in a LONG time, but still) kills a lot of the shock value for me, but Identity earned a spot on my list of favorites. It’s an eerie and suspenseful mystery/thriller, featuring a series of genuinely shocking twists during the jaw-dropping finale, and you‘ll see the gruesome aftermath of unfortunate victims (i.e. Robert‘s mangled corpse with a baseball bat stuck in his throat…yikes).

Identity does a wonderful job of playing mind games with the audience during the constant finger-pointing in a deadly whodunit game of cat and mouse. The desolate motel in a fierce rainstorm is a perfect setting for the main characters, because it’s an isolated deathtrap, and this setting enhances feelings of desperation and claustrophobia. In the end, Identity is a must-see film, easily. As I said before, when it comes to the twists at the end, it’s an even split for which side of the fence you’ll be on. You’ll hate or love the reasons behind the revelations for the killer, but one thing’s for sure, it’s impossible to resist the urge to decipher, question, and analyze Identity’s memorable and thought-provoking finale.

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

20,000!

Yep. As you can see, I just passed 20,000 pageviews, and as always, I appreciate the continued support. The TV reviews are coming soon, and soon enough, I'm going to start a review series for Paranormal Activity. And if you're wondering, yes, I will include the new prequel in this review series.

Also, I'm going to post my version for End Of The Year Awards in the near future, honoring the best of 2013, and I'm going to include a category for the worst film in 2013, but I have to catch up on the Oscar worthy stuff from last year first. Although, I'll only have one Worst category. I'll let the Razzies handle all the bashing for 2013. lol.

Thanks again, and I'm happy you take the time to read my work on here.

MMR