All 4 Films available on Blu Ray and DVD...
“Closed Circuit” – (2013) – Eric Bana (Troy) and Rebecca Hall (The Town) co-star in this British Drama/Thriller as two defense attorneys, and former lovers, who inherit a high profile terrorism case and find themselves embroiled in a deep-rooted conspiracy in the process. This film is just plain ol’, outright boring (I hate employing the term) and doesn’t make a damned bit of sense if you take more than a few seconds to think about it. Bana and Hall are serviceable, though can’t possibly give off sparks in a vacuum.
Skip it - If you’ve ever wondered what a conspiracy thriller film would look and feel like if it were directed by a filmmaker strung out on Diazepam, this is it…
5.0 out of 10
Director: John Crowley
Cast: Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciaran Hinds, Jim Broadbent, Riz Ahmed, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Denis Moschitto and Julia Stiles
Run-Time: 96 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language and brief violence
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“Getaway” - (2013) – Ethan Hawke’s (Training Day) former professional racecar driver must perform a series of tasks in a souped-up, tricked-out Shelby Mustang in order to save his wife from an all-knowing, all-seeing mastermind in this Action/Crime/Thriller.
It’s far-fetched to the max, with very little intelligence on display- throw in a miscast Selena Gomez as a hacker and you’ve got the worst action film of 2013. The only aspect that’s worthwhile in this burnin’ rubber turkey is the vehicle featured throughout.
Yet another “car movie” that only serves to reconfirm my notion that Hollywood currently has no inkling or interest in making a quality car chase film- don’t get me started on the overrated Fast and Furious franchise…
Skip it- you’ll get far more entertainment value out of watching a rugrat play Grand Theft Auto for an hour and a half instead.
2.0 out of 10
Director: Courtney Solomon
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight, Rebecca Budig and Paul Freeman
Run-Time: 90 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense action, violence and mayhem throughout, some rude gestures, and language
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“Raze”- (2013) – A solid, albeit exploitative premise is wasted in this tale of hapless beauties that are abducted by a powerful organization and then subsequently forced to partake in gladiatorial-style, bare-handed combat matches. It starts off fine but quickly devolves into a series of frustratingly inept and poorly staged sequences- it appears some of the duels are improvised.
Zoey Bell (Death Proof) and Rachel Nichols (P2) headline the film as captive battlers while the emaciated Doug Jones and the swollen Sherilyn Fenn host the televised matches for a wealthy, private audience.
This misfire is noteworthy only because of one early sucker punch involving the demise of a major character and a few unexpected cameos with ties to a certain Quentin Tarantino film.
Skip It- the experience is bloody but pointless and topped off with a shit the bed ending.
5.0 out of 10
Director: Josh C. Waller
Cast: Zoe Bell, Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thoms, Sherilyn Fenn, Doug Jones, Bruce Thomas, Bailey Anne Borders, Rebecca Marshall and Rosario Dawson
Run-Time: 92 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, and language
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“Runner, Runner” – Justin Timberlake (Friends With Benefits) stars as “Richie Furst”, a Princeton college student funding his tuition via online gambling who craps out in an all-or-nothing match. Subsequently discovering that the game was rigged, he travels to Costa Rica to confront the cunning entrepreneur behind the world’s largest online-gambling empire, “Ivan Block” (Ben Affleck). Richie soon finds himself seduced by the lucrative and glamorous lifestyle and working for Block- matters soon turn dangerous as Ivan’s conniving nature thrusts the young protégé amongst corrupt Costa Rican officials, underworld heavies and the FBI Agent (Anthony Mackie) looking to put a notch in his belt.
Timberlake needs to stick to comedies or supporting roles in the serious stuff- he’s just plain miscast and out of his league here. Affleck is merely serviceable while Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe) is given little to nothing to do but sashay around as a pretty piece of window dressing. The talented and charismatic Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) appears in little more than a token, obligatory role.
It’s nice to look at, though paper thin, void of tension and completely forgettable- all so very strange in that the film was written by the co-scripters (Brian Koppelman and David Levien) of one of the very best card shark flicks ever made, 1998’s “Rounders”, and Directed by the guy who gave us the excellent 2011 Crime/Thriller, “The Lincoln Lawyer”. Those with even the slightest bit of interest should understand that the film features only a couple of minutes of gaming/gambling action.
Skip it, or play it as background noise while vacuuming the house…
6.0 out of 10
Director: Brad Furman
Cast: Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie and John Heard
Run-Time: 91 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language and some sexual content
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