Month: April 2008

Street Kings

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There are currently three movies at the local multiplex that I want to see: “Street Kings,” “The Ruins,” and “Diary of the Dead.”Today, “Street Kings” won out mainly due to the outstanding folks behind it.

The screenplay was created by James [novelist and screenwriter – do I really need to list credits for him?] Elroy, Kurt [“Equilibrium” “The Recruit”] Wimmer, and Jamie Moss.

It stars: Keanu [“Matrix”] Reeves, Forest [“The Shield”] Whitaker, Hugh [“House”] Laurie, Chris [“Fantastic Four”] Evans, Cedric “The Entertainer,” Jay [“Suicide Kings”] Mohr, Terry [“Harsh Times”] Crews, Naomi [“28 Days Later”] Harris, and Amaury [“Prison Break”] Nolasco.

It was directed by David [“Harsh Times”] Ayer.

The Pitch: “The Shield” meets “Training Day.” Keanu plays a bad cop falsely accused of killing his old partner who had been talking to internal affairs. His team has a cover-up in place, but Keanu wants to find the killers… no matter the cost to him or the team. Soon no one can be trusted.

The Good: * The story. The action from the opening scenes to the end. * The cast. Chris Evans, Naomi Harris and Cedric the Entertainer need special mention as they made the scenes they were in even better. I was worried that Cedric would be out of place in a serious movie, but he made his character work. * The Tension: The scene in the apartment especially — “I am your nightmare.” The scene in the car when Keanu works the handcuffs and the two scenes that follow — not your typical turn of events. * The ending [as surprising and as bold as the ending of “The Mist.”]

The Bad: everyone.

The Ugly: the two gangbangers after being dug up.

Summary: Although not a classic, “Street Kings” will definitely find a home in my dvd collection. If you’re looking for action in the “Training Day” vein, then “Street Kings” is for you.

Remembering – Charlton Heston

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Charlton Heston passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Perhaps best known for his Oscar winning role as the title character in Ben-Hur, I will always remember him first as Taylor from the Planet of the Apes.Don’t get me wrong, I loved Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur which was one of those event movies back in the days before cable tv, VCRs [remember those] and of course DVDs. The first time I watched

Ben-Hur was on a little black and white tv with my mom. I can remember my excitement during the chariot race and my fear of the lepers. A few years later I watched Ben-Hur for the first time on color tv at my grandparents’ house and my grandpa told me about the chariot race [and someone actually getting killed during the filming of it].I would see Charlton Heston pop up in movies after that, but it wasn’t until The Planet of the Apes [one of my favorite childhood movie experiences] that he hit a streak of movies that really made me take notice. Mr. Heston had a small role in the sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes — and there were of course starring roles in The Omega Man and Soylent Green. Although these movies have not held up as well as my childhood memories of them, Mr. Heston was on a roll as far as I was then concerned. You can imagine my delight when he showed up in the all-star cast of the disaster epic, Earthquake.


Despite winning a Best Actor award, Charlton Heston wasn’t one of the first names that came to mind when discussing great actors. Yet, when I think of all the movies that I’ve enjoyed that he’s appeared in from Ben Hur to Tombstone,  you’d have to agree that he had talent enough to make him a star.In his later years, Charlton Heston became more known for his strict conservative political views than his acting. This was quite a change from his liberal views in the 1950’s and 60’s. In 2002, Mr. Heston announced that he was suffering from sympton’s of Alzheimer’s disease.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans of Charlton Heston.

Liddell on Slice

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Former UFC champion, Chuck Liddell was recently asked what he thought about new MMA star Kimbo Slice.

Here’s some of what Chuck had to say about Kimbo:

  • “People talk about him like he’s the next great thing when he really hasn’t done anything…
  • He’s been built up because of the Internet and him beating a bunch of guys on the street…
  • I could make some impressive knockout videos too if you let me walk outside and just punch people and knock them out—’hey you, come fight!’…
  • We can make a highlight reel tomorrow and go round beating people up and talking about it…
  • We could just go up to people and start dropping them. Wow!”
Wow indeed.


Lacking Spirit

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SuperHeroHype.com got a first look at three posters which create a bigger image to promote Frank Miller’s Will Eisner’s The Spirit movie. [Say that three times quickly.] I enjoy The Spirit and am an even bigger Frank Miller fan, but I’m not really diggin’ the poster. Is it just me? 

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal [2008]

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I‘ve been diggin’ Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal forever. If you haven’t ever checked it out [or even if you have] CBR has an advance look at the latest issue. Two things before you go: 1] Criminal is not for kids due to the violence & profanity and 2] The latest is a complete in one issue story, so it makes a great place to jump on board. Okay now, here’s the link.

Billie Jean by Any Name…

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One of the reasons that I enjoy watching American Idol is that occasionally one of the contestants will present a new version of a song that really works. Chris Daughtry’s “Walk the Line” and Blake Lewis’ “Time of the Season” are two examples. [Yeah, I know that Daughtry’s take was based on Live’s cover of the Johnny Cash classic.]

Recently David Cook took a shot Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. It was amazing. I was knocked out by David’s Cook’s “Billie Jean”. It was bold, innovative and actually Chris Cornell’s “Billie Jean”. Shades of Daughtry.