Taken 2

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This film is a sequel to the film Taken made in 2008. Retired CIA operative, Bryan Mills, goes to Istanbul with his family. Bryan and his wife are taken by the father of a man he had murdered. A man who had aided in kidnapping his daughter. Now, Bryan must fight to keep his daughter safe, and rescue his wife from their captors.

This film is directed by Olivier Megaton. This sequel is highly remnant of the original. It is so remnant of the original that it feels like a highly formulated action film. That doesn't make it bad if you are a fan of the original. This film's story carries similarly, but there is less fear. There is no thrill in this film. It is obvious that Mills can very easy murder any opponent in his path. There is no true failure, so there is no sadness. This film also ends very predictably and cliched. The story can also be judged on its merits of making foreigners appear bad. It can be seen that it plays of general stereotypes of certain peoples. The action if the film is a lot cleaner than the first. There is less torture replaced by fast paced adrenaline. This film was made more for the box office than the first. On a better side, this action film does carry on with great acting that isn't seen in most action films. Liam Neeson returned to his role as Bryan Mills. He was great returning to role of the familiar obsessive father and retired agent. He kept this film alive with moderate emotion. Famke Janssen returned to her role as Lenore. She was good in her limited victim role. The script did not allow for more of a connection to her character. Maggie Grace returned to her role as Kim Mills. She was good in a more open role. She was able to rescue her father. Rade Serbedzija played the role of Murad Krasniqi. He was great as a villain to oppose Nesson's character. 

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It is a decent action film that follows the first. It's a lot more fast paced action, even if it is predictable.

Answer to last blog: Actress Abigail Breslin, The Call, starred in the film Zombieland.

Que: What role did actress Famke Janssen play in the X-Men series?

Ororo Munroe
Jean Grey
Raven Darkholme
Marie

The Call (2013)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

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LAPD Veteran, 9-1-1 operator Jordan Turner, receives a life altering phone call from Leah Templeton. The one single mistake continues to haunt her six months later. She takes on another life altering call from Casey Welson. Jordan must face a killer from her past to save this Casey's life. 

This film was directed by Brad Anderson. This 94 minute film has a very simple set-up that becomes all too clear very early in the film. It builds a lot of its tension through the conversations of phone calls between the two heroines. The terrified heart of this film is the constant feeling of helplessness while trying outwit the kidnapper, and briefly observing the police chase. However, after the phone call ends-it turns into a familiar cliched ending with a slight twist. The story being simple, also keeps it fairly predictable. This film uses a lot of old school thriller techniques to add to the suspense. This film does have some gore in it, and some general morbid creepiness. Halle Berry, as Jordan Turner, offers a unique perspective on a thrillers protagonist character. Her emotions are fully felt through her voice. Abigail Breslin, as Casey Welson, is a familiar  emotional victim. Michael Eklund, as Michael Foster, created the familiar portrait of a murderer. Berry pulls the character out of that cliched thriller stereotype. 

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! This film begins as great, but fails to create an ending to match. Berry's emotional performance, and Eklund's unnerving performance, does make it worth a watch.

Answer to last blog: Actor Jonathan Frid played the original role of Barnabas Collin in the 1966 television show.

Que: What other film has actress Abigail Breslin starred in?

District 9
Zombieland
Coraline
17 Again

Dark Shadows

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This film is based off the gothic soap opera of the same name. Barnabas Collins was a man who was cursed by a witch, years ago for loving the wrong woman. He spent several decades locked in a coffin until per chance he was released. He returns to the Collin homestead to rebuild his families fortunes and reputation. However, Angelique Bouchard (the witch the cursed Collins) continues to fight for his affection.

This film was directed by Tim Burton. This films story does cross into several genres. Its a clash of horror, drama, and comedy. The film follows Collins as he discovers this new era and the new family. His attempt at learning the new era does add most of the humour to the film. The characters, and their connections, makes the film very dramatic. It also gives the story its richness of heart. However, the ending did feel out of place. So many elements were just tossed in to make the ending more exciting and unexpected. There was a lack of overall focus. The unusual gothic stylings are very familiar to fans of Burton. The computer animation worked to enhance this gothic world. A lot of the cast was good, but a lot of the time felt dryly dull. Johnny Depp played the role of Barnabas Collins. In many ways he brought life to this film. He give his dark characters moments of humour. Michelle Pfeiffer played the role of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. More could have been with her character to gain a better perspective on her. Eva Green played the role of Angelique Bouchard. Her character was elegant on screen. She did create a great villain who opposed Barnabas. 

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It has a lot of potential but it falls short with its lack of focus and multiple genres.

Answer to last blog: Director Zack Snyder, Man of Steel, also directed the film Dawn of the Dead.

Que: Who played the role of Barnabas Collins in the 1966 television show Dark Shadows?

Louis Edmonds
David Shelby
David Henesy
Jonathan Frid