“The A-Team” Full of Sound and Fury
Jun 24th
“Full of Sound and Fury”
THE A-TEAM is based on the television series of the same name that ran from 1983 to 1987 on NBC-TV, except that the war references have been updated from the Vietnam War to the war in Iraq.
In other words, its target audience of teenage boys hadn’t even been born when the TV series was running, and the teenagers who enjoyed the TV show back then are in their 40s now and probably way too old to enjoy this tired, old retread of a knockoff.
The movie opens “Somewhere in Mexico,” and the leader of the team of renegade soldiers of fortune, Col. John “Hannibal” Smith, played by Liam Neeson, escapes death by dogs and travels “Somewhere Else in Mexico” to rescue Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck, played by Bradley Cooper.
Face is tied up inside a pile of tires by the Bad Mexicanos, and when asked how he is doing says in his characteristic manner, “I’m living the dream!”
In the meantime, B.A. Baracus gets his customized van back, which means something only if you are familiar with the TV series, and, of course, “B.A.” officially stands for “Bad Attitude,” but we all know the initials stand for something else.
And speaking of initials, the three of them find their fourth member in a hospital as usual, he is the pilot of the team, his name is H.M. Murdock, and his initials stand for “Howling Mad,” because he either is or isn’t.
At this point, the movie turns into nonstop action and a nonstop attempt at humorous jokes, what every teenage boy thoroughly enjoys.
Then we are told that it is eight years and 80 successful missions later, Jessica Biel shows up as Capt. Charisa Sosa, she has a history with Faceman, but they haven’t seen each other in three years, and she claims that her fondest memory of Faceman is leaving him.
And the main plot of the movie begins, which is for the team to stop a counterfeiting operation in Baghdad and which involves double-, triple-, and quadruple-crosses.
Of course, Hannibal’s catchphrase, “I love it when a plan comes together,” gets some mileage, too.
Now, I hesitate to use a reference from Shakespeare to talk about this movie, but I will.
THE A-TEAM is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing but a waste of time.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Twilight Saga for Mature Adults
Jun 16th
Twilight Saga for Mature Adults
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is part of a phenomenon in Sweden and Europe that is destined to become just as successful in the U.S.
The film is based on a trilogy of books written by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson, and even though the three films made from them have broken records in Scandinavia, there is talk of Hollywood remaking at least this one and reportedly Brad Pitt has been offered the role of the lead character, Mikael Blomkvist.
I don’t see it, but then I haven’t read the novels and have only this film to go by.
Blomkvist is an investigative journalist who is tried and found guilty of libel for what he wrote in a magazine about a corrupt Swedish industrialist.
Blomkvist claims that he was set up, but before he serves his time in prison, he is approached by Henrik Vanger, the wealthy octogenarian and member of the Vanger Group, which is owned by a wealthy industrial family in their own right.
Vanger lives on a remote island in the Swedish archipelago where the rest of his family members also have homes, and he hires Blomkvist to investigate the murder of his niece, Harriet, who was 16 when she disappeared from the island back in 1966.
Although her body was never found, Vanger believes she was murdered, because she disappeared on a day when no one could get off or on the island, and every year on his birthday since then he has received framed flowers from around the world, which he believes are from Harriet’s killer who is taunting him.
Meanwhile, we meet a young punk-looking woman who is a researcher for a security company. She tells her boss, “You order the goods. I deliver them.”
She is Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the tattoo, she is a computer hacker, and she is rude, lewd, and crude personified.
When Lisbeth and Blomkvist meet and start working together, they uncover a mystery that leads to a thrilling climax, two equally gripping anticlimaxes, and a final denouement that will have you eagerly awaiting the next two films in the trilogy.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and its two sequels have been called “Harry Potter for grownups,” but I believe they are more likely to be a Twilight saga for mature adults.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Movie Trailer
Jun 11th
A discredited journalist and a mysterious computer hacker discover that even the wealthiest families have skeletons in their closets while working to solve the mystery of a 40-year-old murder. Inspired by late author Stieg Larsson’s successful trilogy of books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets under way as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are briefed in the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, whose uncle suspects she may have been killed by a member of their own family. The deeper Mikael and Lisbeth dig for the truth, however, the greater the risk of being buried alive by members of the family who will go to great lengths to keep their secrets tightly sealed.
