Tag Archives: Three-Stars

The Protector (DVD)

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protector

Tony Jaa continues to impress me with his ability as a martial artist. After his highly successful American film debut, “Ong Bak“, Jaa returns with another high impact martial arts film. His use of Muay Thai kickboxing mixed with a bit of Kung Fu makes him one of the most exciting martial arts film stars of his generation. I can’t say enough about his ability to awe his audience with his strength and brutal style of fighting.

Jaa’s incredible action sequences saved this film from the depths of the abyss. The storyline was just terrible and the rest of the actors just horrible. Without Jaa, this film would definitely have skipped its theater appearance. We all know however what most of us watch these types of films for. The backbreaking, bone crushing, and acrobatic performances. This film delivers enough of that to satisfy all of your needs.

Synopsis:

THE PROTECTOR is the highly anticipated full bodied action film starring International Martial Arts superstar, Tony Jaa. His world shaped by ancient traditions, a young Thai fighter is called to defend his people and their honor after outsiders ruin all that is sacred. Fueled by desire to protect a way of life and avenge the wrong done to his family, he will bring the fight to their city.

Flags of our Fathers (DVD)

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flagsofourfathers1_largeI heard quite a number of good things about Flags of our Fathers when it was released last year, but I missed a theater screening of it. I ended up watching Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima first. Maybe this was the wrong thing to do because after viewing the films out of order, my opinion is that Letters from Iwo Jima was far more moving than Flags. I thought that the storyline from Letters was much more cohesive.

Unlike Letters which focused primarily on the actual war on Iwo Jima, Flags examined several different aspects of the conflict. The film would jump back and forth from the United States mainland and all its propaganda surrounding the war, then back to the island itself. This caused quite a bit of confusion for me. I could never get a good grip of the flow of the story because of the constant “flashbacks” and sudden transitions. The characters never quite made that connection to the viewer, and the acting was good but nothing memorable.

What makes this film a worthwhile rental is its realism and message behind the movie. Otherwise the screenplay was poorly written and you could probably skip this film and still enjoy watching its superior “partner” film, Letters from Iwo Jima.

In February, 1945, one of the fiercest battles of the Pacific theater of World War II occurs on the tiny island of Iwo Jima. Thousands of Marines attack the stronghold maintained by thousands of Japanese, and the slaughter on both sides is horrific. Early in the battle, an American flag is raised atop the high point, Mount Suribachi, and a photograph of the raising becomes an American cause celebre. As a powerful inspiration to war-sick Americans, the photo becomes a symbol of the Allied cause. The three surviving flag raisers, Rene Gagnon, John Bradley, and Ira Hayes, are whisked back to civilization to help raise funds for the war effort. But the accolades for heroism heaped upon the three men are at odds with their own personal realizations that thousands of real heroes lie dead on Iwo Jima, and that their own contributions to the fight are only symbolic and not deserving of the singling out they are experiencing. Each of the three must come to terms with the honors, exploitation, and grief that they face simply for being in a photograph.

Open Season (DVD)

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open_season_ver2Open Season was a decent film. The CGI was fantastic and Sony Pictures did a terrific job at bringing the wildlife and scenery to life. The biggest problem with this film is the close similarities to every other film involving talking animals. The similarities between Boog (the bear) and Elliot (the deer) and Shrek and his donkey is unmistakable.

This film is definately a childrens flick. I think 4-6 year old kids will probably get a kick out of this film, but I would not recommend it to anyone much older than that. The film drags in so many parts and the storyline is terribly generic. I did however enjoy the torture of the rabbits! LOL.

Synopsis:

A grizzly bear named Boog, domesticated by a park ranger, Beth, helps deer friend Elliot escape from the mullet-sporting hunter, Shaw. When the animals escape to the forest the pair become lost just as hunting season begins, made worse by the fact Boog doesn’t know how to survive outside of his beloved ranch. Elliott and Boog develop a strong bond not only between themselves but also with the wild animals and attempt to drive the hunters out of the forest.