Friday, August 28, 2015

Quick Flick Review: No Escape

No Escape is one of those late-summer, ninety-minute head-scratchers you question why was even made.

The set-up is laughably simple: within hours of landing in an unnamed Southeast-Asian country, an American family, led by Owen Wilson and Lake Bell, must flee for their lives as guerillas stage a coup and begin executing foreigners.

The whole film is devoid of any characterization and basically plays like one endless chase sequence: running, jumping, shooting and screaming. Lots of screaming.

Wilson seems grossly out of place in this type of role (his last action film was 2001's Behind Enemy Lines) and the always-engaging Bell has really nothing much more to do here than cry and question her husband's actions.

Pierce Brosnan is somewhat intriguing as a British intelligence operative who helps the family, but not even 007 can breathe any sustainable life into this pointless turkey. Grade: D

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Quick Flick Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

It's pretty much business as usual for Tom Cruise and the nearly 20-year-old Mission: Impossible franchise, but Rogue Nation offers just enough wildly inventive, breathtaking sequences to make taking another trip with Ethan Hunt and his IMF team worthy of your time, especially on the big screen. Grade: B