Available On DVD & Blu Ray -
"Broken City"-
Mark Wahlberg plays a disgraced ex-cop turned Private Detective who is tapped by Russell Crowe's corrupt Mayor of New York to investigate his wife, played by Catherine Zeta Jones. Expect a car chase, a small-scaled shoot-out and a number of twists and double-crosses throughout, though it's all so very... hesitant and anti-climactic.
Wahlberg's fairly likeable here, while Crowe, sporting an awful spray on tan, seems strangely miscast. Zeta-Jones is a little stiff and I could have sworn that her dialogue was dubbed in a certain sequence.
This is a run-of-the-mill crime story that doesn't break any new ground and is marred by a muddled plot- a thoroughly unsatisfying conclusion had me filing it away as forgettable.
6.0
Director: Allen Hughes
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper, Natalie Martinez, Alona Tal, Kyle Chandler
Run-Time: 109 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence
"The Call"-
Halle Barry is the Los Angeles 9-1-1 operator haunted by a past mistake who is desperate to aid an abducted girl (Abigail Breslin) communicating via cell phone from the trunk of a serial killer's car in this thriller from Director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Session 9). The movie moves at a brisk pace, there's a fair amount of tension and Barry provides a serviceable heroine. Breslin is very good here while Michael Ecklund provides a super-creepy killer.
The third act gets a bit weird, as if trying to enter Silence of The Lambs/Kiss The Girls territory, though fumbles around with logic too much to accomplish that. I still can't figure out if the film's ending is crowd-pleasing or hare-brained.
Worth a rental
6.5
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut, Roma Maffia, Michael Ecklund and Michael Imperioli
Run-Time: 94 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for violence, disturbing content and some language
"The Cold Light Of Day"-
This rushed star vehicle clearly aiming to gain some kind of audience recognition for the future Man Of Steel, Henry Cavill, feels like a half-hearted Bourne ripoff, with a host of foot chases, car chases, fist fights and shootouts, but with none of the tension or pizazz. Cavill has remarkably little charisma or presence here as the vacationing everyman looking to locate a mysterious briefcase (the film's MacGuffin) for some very bad people and save his kidnapped family in the process.
Filmed on location throughout Spain, one gets the feeling that Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver (both looking rather bored) were paid handsomely to step away from their own vacations and lend some big name support.
There's absolutely nothing here that any kind of "accomplished" movie lover wouldn't have seen many times over and executed significantly better.
Skip It
4.5
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Cast: Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Echegui, Joseph Mawli, Caroline Goodall, Rafi Gavron, Oscar Jaenada and Roschdy Zem
Run-Time: 93 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content
"The Frozen Ground"-
This loosely based on true events story of a determined detective (Nicolas Cage) aiming to track down Alaska's most notorious serial killer, Robert Hansen (John Cusack), with the help of a young woman (Vanessa Hudgens) who escaped his clutches is effectively grim and interesting enough, though it lacks a definitive edge. The vast majority of this procedural would fit in nicely on A&E or The Lifetime Channel.
Cage is decidedly strong here, once again reminding me that there's still a talented veteran actor getting lost in the direct-to-video shuffle. Hudgens' work is commendable, while I wish Cusack had been given more time and quality material to flex his stuff. 50 Cent looks hilarious as a long-haired pimp...
Worth a rental.
6.5
Director: Scott Walker
Cast: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vaness Hudgens, Curtis Jackson, Dean Norris, Radha Mitchell, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Gia Mantegna
Run-Time: 105 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for violent content, sexuality/nudity, language and drug use
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