Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Cast of Characters:

Ron Burgundy - Will Ferrell

Brick Tamland - Steve Carell

Brian Fantana - Paul Rudd

Champ Kind - David Koechner

Veronica Corningstone-Burgundy - Christina Applegate

Director - Adam McKay

Screenplay - Adam McKay & Will Ferrell

Rated PG-13 for drug use, crude and sexual content, comic violence and language

      The news team is back! After nearly ten years, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner reunite again in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

      After losing his job and his wife/co-anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) seems to have hit rock bottom. A second chance for him arrives, though, when he is offered a spot on a new 24 hour news circuit. He jumps at the chance at gathers his old gang back - Brian (Paul Rudd), Champ (David Koechner) and, of course, Brick (Steve Carell).

      With a not so prime spot delivering the news during the 2-5 AM slot, and a few rivals standing in the way, Ron Burgundy stands determined to reignite the legend that made him so great in San Diego.

      Unlike a good many others in the world, I've always found Will Ferrell overrated. Yeah, I said it. Films that have taken Ferrell out of his comfort zone such as Stranger Than Fiction and Everything Must Go aside, most of what he's done had him playing annoying characters that either bored me or wore on my nerves (mostly those "insert Ferrell into this sport here" films). Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was one of those rare exceptions of his. The first film was dumb and knew it, but it was funny. Ron Burgundy was an idiot, didn't know it, but there something so vulnerable yet likeable in his absurdity that I saw in him. That and the talented supporting cast helping Ferrell is what made the first film such a pleasant surprise for me. With Anchorman 2, we get mostly the same once again with a few familiar faces - outside of Ron's news team - popping up every now and then. There's not much else to say 'cause this film follows the same formula of the first down to the same climatic news anchor showdown featuring a number of new cameo appearances I'll keep silent on (I will say this one may be better than the one in the first since it's much more outrageous). I'd be lying, though, if I said I didn't laugh quite a bit still at the mostly scripted, but - I'm assuming - sometimes improvised humor. It doesn't try to be anything more than it is: a dumb comedy that aims to make you laugh, and unlike a number of other stupid comedies today, succeeds in doing so. Rudd, Carell, Koechner and Applegate all return to their respective roles and although Rudd and Carell, in particular, have gone on to do bigger and better things with their careers (of which, they can thank the first Anchorman for possibly allowing) it was great seeing them back once again as Brian and Brick, the latter being so inept, clueless and stupid, yet so well-meaning and loveable you just wanna hug him. Some of the laughs don't work and fall into the "Okay, I get it already." category. Kristen Wiig pops up as the new love interest for Brick which has its moments, but overall didn't do much for me. Wiig certainly is talented both as a comic actress and writer as well, but it just seemed like she was in the film solely for the sake of giving Brick something to do in the film. That I can understand and I'm all for Brick being onscreen as much as possible, but the love interest didn't do much for me considering she was essentially a female carbon-copy of Brick. Having her play the character normally to play up the "What exactly does she see in him?" angle might've worked better. That said, it's not a major component of the film, so it certainly doesn't ruin it or anything. Plus, when the laughs worked, and they did mostly, I had a blast, particularly during a dinner scene with Ron and his black girlfriend's family that is so politically incorrect, yet so damn funny. "Am I right? Say whaaaaat?!"

      Some might not see a point to this as it's a sequel that follows the same formula of its predecessor. You could also say that about a number of other sequels, some that work and some that don't. It certainly doesn't have as much of that "Wow, that surprised me!" factor like I got with the first one, but overall, I walked through the theater doors expecting one thing from this film: make me laugh and make me laugh hard, which it did. Like its predecessor, it's dumb, it's self-aware of that fact (although there are some fairly witty jabs at the culture of the media and how it runs), and the number of cameos by various A-listers looking to cut loose for once in a goofy film like this made this a fun time for me. I give Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues a B+ (★★★½).

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Cast of Characters:

Ian McKellen - Gandalf the Grey

Bilbo Baggins - Martin Freeman

Thorin Oakenshield - Richard Armitage

Smaug - Benedict Cumberbatch

Tauriel - Evangeline Lilly

Thranduil - Lee Pace

Bard the Bowman - Luke Evans

Balin - Ken Stott

Bofur - James Nesbitt

Legolas - Orlando Bloom

Director - Peter Jackson

Screenplay - Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro

Based on the novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images

      Bilbo and the gang are back to fight Orcs and dragons and make New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. billions of dollars in the second installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved literary classic, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

      Following the events that took place in the first film last year, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and the company of dwarves - led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) - are continuing their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves once great homeland. Standing in their way of course are the army of Orcs and the Sindar Elves, who aren't enemies per se, just very reluctant to help the dwarves considering the pasts between the two.

      Their biggest challenge though is the one who now inhabits the Lonely Mountain - Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), the last great dragon of Middle-earth. Inside the Lonely Mountain is the dwarves's coveted Arkenstone and it'll be up to Bilbo, the "burglar" hired by the dwarves, to take back the Arkenstone from the feared Smaug.

      Despite making more money than either the first or second Lord of the Rings installments, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey wasn't as well received as the original trilogy (although The Hobbit isn't a prequel, it was actually the first book written in the series, but hey, that's the Tolkien nerd in me talking). Although I enjoyed the first installment for this trilogy, my initial complaint was why make it a trilogy when it's the shortest book out of the four. A part of me feels, making just one three hour movie or even just two instead of three would've been better. In the end, whatever, it is what it is and honestly if I was the studio head here I would've probably stretched it to twelve films and watched it rain dollas making me holla in my office. That said, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is slightly better than the first. More often than not, for any film franchise, that's not the case, but it's always the trajectory studios wanna see. While the first film had some pacing issues and the scenes with the elves (who really have just a minor part in the book) went on longer than they should, Jackson keeps the ball rolling here at a better pace, which includes a barrel riding sword and arrow fighting sequence that is one of the most exciting and terrifically choreographed action sequences in film this year. While most of the cast are those we were already introduced to in the first film, we are introduced to some new ones. Evangeline Lilly is quite a badass as Tauriel. She's certainly a chick I would never wanna cross like some Orcs are foolish enough to do. We're introduced to Beorn in a small scene, but I only bring him up 'cause he's one of my favorite characters from the story. Orlando Bloom returns as Legolas, the role that put him on the map. At first, the Tolkien nerd burst out of me when I heard he'd appear in the film, ("He's not even in the book!!!!") but it was nice seeing him again onscreen, particularly considering, aside from the Pirates movies, he hasn't been in much else worth seeing. Richard Armitage once again is terrific as Thorin (a perfect casting choice, in my opinion). We don't get as much Bilbo as we could and, who are we kidding, as we should, but Freeman still embodies the role quite well, and of course, when he isn't sharing a love-hate relationship with Professor X, it's always great to see McKellen don the wizard robe as Gandalf. Like the title states, we are finally introduced to Smaug and who better to voice him than vocally gifted Benedict Cumberbatch, who appears to have starred in every other film that came out this year. Cumberbatch (who, like Andy Serkis with Gollum, also provided the motion capture for the character) provides the devious Smaug with all the fear, menace and fury that those of you, like me, who loved the dragon in the book will wanna see. It's the part of the film I was most looking forward to, and it's the strongest of the film. Cumberbatch and Freeman in no way dissapoint.

      There are moments, like the first, where it feels just a bit more stretched out than it needs to be. That also could've been maybe due to the fact that I finished my soda early, so by the 140 minute mark I was crossing my legs and holding my bladder going, "Come on, just bring the dragon down already, Bilbo!" Nitpicks aside, the story picks up from the first in a slightly more exciting fashion. Although some will gripe about the abrupt ending, here's hoping the third installment finishes the story off right. I give The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug an A- (★★★½).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

American Hustle

Saving Mr. Banks

Hours

 

Cast of Characters:

Nolan Hayes - Paul Walker

Abigail Hayes - Genesis Rodriguez

Director - Eric Heisserer

Screenplay - Eric Heisserer

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some unsettling images

      Paul Walker and Genesis Rodriguez star in the Hurricane Katrina drama-thriller Hours, the last completed film of Walker's career.

      Keep in mind, there are a few minor spoilers that I do have to reveal for this brief synopsis. In 2005, at the onset of Hurricane Katrina, Nolan Hayes (Paul Walker) receives the exciting news that his wife Abigail (Genesis Rodriguez) just gave birth to their baby daughter. What should be a joyous occasion for him is ruined by grief when he is also told that his wife died from complications during the labor process. His newborn daughter, born prematurely, has been placed in a neonatal incubator to help her breathe properly.

      With Katrina growing stronger, the hospital loses power and the people are forced to relocate, leaving Nolan and his baby behind. With no one coming back to help, Nolan must do what he can to ensure that both he and his baby survive.

      Like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, Will Smith in I Am Legend, and Robert Redford in All Is Lost (of which I still have not seen, thank you Kalamazoo theaters), Paul Walker performs most of the scenes by himself, a task nowhere near as easy as some might think it is. While Walker didn't blow me away, he still manages to pull off a fine, solid performance that required him to act a lot more than any of the action heavy films he was mostly known for ever asked of him. The problem is not Walker, it's writer/director Eric Heisserer. Prior to Hours, Heisserer was known for co-writing the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake (one of the worst remakes I've ever seen) and Final Destination 5, which - whatever. With this film being his first directorial effort, Heisserer makes the mistake of relying more on emotional manipulation to move the viewer. This is no more clearly evident than when we get the obligatory "flashback ghost appearance" from Rodriguez who quietly and sweetly reminds Walker that she'll always be with him and he'll be a good father. Sure, in a fantasy film that could work, but this is film supposedly set in real-life Hurricane Katrina era with a baby hooked up to an incubator running on a generator with a low battery recharge and every minute counts. That's a gold wrapped gift of a story setup for any filmmaker. We don't need cheesy pull on the heartstrings moments like what I just mentioned. Plus, unless your name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, force ghosts tend to be unnecessary anyway. We do get some solidly tense moments such as the ingenious ways Walker keeps having to come up with to keep his baby's generator going and the scenes between him and his daughter work and are the strongest of the film. However, it's a shame that the film falls back too much on sappy, pull on your heartstrings moments, and in the hands of a more experienced writer or director, Walker could've had much more to work with.

      As mentioned above, this was the last completed film of the late Paul Walker's career, who tragically died in a car accident this past Thanksgiving weekend. It would be disingenuous and insulting to say that I was a fan of his and that he gave an Oscar worthy performance in Hours. Walker gives a good performance - I'll admit, one of his best - in an okay film with flawed writing and direction. Although Walker has had smaller roles in great films such as Pleasantville and Flags of Our Fathers, I was never a fan of his work, most of which was the Fast and the Furious franchise. However, regardless of whether I was admirer of his or not, Walker was a man that had no regrets and was immensely proud of the work he did and was always grateful for his fanbase, and that is something I can admire about him. I give Hours a C+ (★★½).

Twice Born

Cast of Characters:

Gemma - Penelope Cruz

Diego - Emile Hirsch

Gojko - Adnan Haskovic

Aska - Saadat Aksoy

Pietro - Pietro Castellitto

Armando - Luca De Filippo

Psychologist - Jane Birkin

Director - Sergio Castellitto

Screenplay - Margaret Mazzantini & Sergio Castellitto

Based on the novel Venuto al mondo by Margaret Mazzantini

Rated R for violence including a rape scene, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug content

      Academy Award winner Penelope Cruz and Emile Hirsch star in romantic war drama Twice Born, based on the novel by Margaret Mazzantini.

      Gemma (Penelope Cruz) has returned to Sarajevo with her son Pietro (Pietro Castellitto), sixteen years after the city was torn apart by war. Pietro's father Diego (Emile Hirsch) died years before during the Bosnian conflict.

      We then flashback to all those years ago, where a younger Gemma first meets the idealistic photographer Diego. The two fall in love, yet unfortunately Gemma is unable to conceive a child. Despite pushing Diego into the arms of surrogate Aska (Saadat Aksoy), through which a child is conceived, Gemma is overcome with guilt and jealousy.

      Twice Born is your typical war-drama-romance kind of film that breaks a number of the mandatory cliches we normally see in films like this while also containing a few third act twists. Of all the war periods portrayed in film, the conflict that took place in Bosnia is one of the few that is rarely visited, so it's a bit of a shame that the tragedies that took place take a back seat to the sweeping melodrama that we see here. We do, every now and then, get a grim portrait provided by Italian director/co-writer Sergio Castellitto of the horrors that took place, but there's not as much as we should get. That said, in spite of the weaknesses of the story, the film is elevated by a mesmerizing performance from Penelope Cruz. What an amazing turn from Penelope. Whether she's playing the lively, younger Gemma, the middle-aged Gemma filled with heartbreak over the fact she can never conceive a child, or the older Gemma reflecting back on the decisions she made that brought her back to where it all began, Cruz hits all the right notes and conveys every emotion of her character perfectly. If the story doesn't move you, Cruz and her character will. Emile Hirsch is a fine actor and has turned in two great performances already this year with Prince Avalanche and The Motel Life, but here he seems a bit over-the-top. Playing someone so young, idealistic and full of himself, yeah, you can maybe forgive that, but he didn't bring any believability to the romance with Cruz (you also have to wonder if Gemma would even bother with someone like Diego) and just seemed to lay it on tad bit too thick with her. Then again, Penelope Cruz ages like a fine wine and will still be rockin' it at the age of 156. If I was in her presence and had a chance to win her over, I would lay it on like molasses too, so who am I to talk?

      The story is not entirely without its strengths. There are a few genuinely moving moments where the melodrama steps aside and Sergio Castellitto does a solid job at constructing the way the film flows through present day to flashback. I just wish the film contained a little less melodrama. At the end of the day though, this is Penelope Cruz's film and despite the flaws that it contains, she carries this film with an effortlessly terrific performance. Her performance alone is reason enough to still watch this film. It's one of her best. I give Twice Born a B (★★★).

Out of the Furnace

Cast of Characters:

Russell Baze - Christian Bale

Harlan DeGroat - Woody Harrelson

Rodney Baze, Jr. - Casey Affleck

Chief Wesley Barnes - Forest Whitaker

John Petty - Willem Dafoe

Lena Taylor - Zoe Saldana

Red - Sam Shepard

Director - Scott Cooper

Screenplay - Brad Ingelsby & Scott Cooper

Rated R for strong violence, language and drug content

      Academy Award winners Christian Bale and Forest Whitaker, Zoe Saldana and Academy Award nominees Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe and Sam Shepard star in Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace.

      Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has had a rough life. He's working a dead-end job at the local steel mill that will soon be shut down, he's caring for his terminally ill father and he's also served time for a car accident that resulted in the death of a child, which resulted in his girlfriend Lena Taylor (Zoe Saldana) leaving him.

      Now out of prison, Russell is reunited with his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck), who's back home from serving multiple tours of duty in Iraq. Rodney is deep in debt and earns what he can doing bare-knuckle fist fighting in various parts of the town, which leads him to Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), a vicious backwoods redneck that runs his own fighting ring. With Rodney falling deeper into debt and trouble with DeGroat and local police chief Wesley Barnes (Forest Whitaker) having his hands tied behind his back due to jurisdiction issues, Russell takes it upon himself to right a wrong with his brother.

      Average moviegoers might still see Christian Bale as Batman, and okay, deservedly so. The man played a great Caped Crusader. If you've never seen his Oscar winning turn in The Fighter, though, do so. That there showcased a turn that many thought was his movie more than the top billed Mark Wahlberg's. If The Fighter doesn't get you to believe Bale has the talent to escape the shadow of The Dark Knight trilogy, his Oscar worthy turn in Out of the Furnace will (he also has another anticipated movie, American Hustle, coming out in a few weeks as well). There's a scene between him and Zoe Saldana on a bridge that'll rip your heart right out of your chest, and never in a manipulative way. This is raw, genuine emotion emoting from both Bale and Saldana that has to be witnessed rather than me tell you. For a man who comes off so tough, this is when we see him at his most vulnerable and helpless state. As far as current actors go, no one can transition so seamlessly from smug, penthouse billionaires to flawed, down-to-earth, middle men with a heart like Bale can. Woody Harrelson plays his most ruthless and heartless character since Natural Born Killers and Casey Affleck turns in, what I believe, is one of his best performances to date. Along with those three, we get some strong turns from the veteran acting presences of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and Oscar nominees Willem Dafoe and Sam Shepard. This is one hell of a cast, people! With only two films under his belt, following Crazy Heart, director Scott Cooper (who also co-wrote the film) is no stranger to crafting flawed individuals trying to set themselves back on the straight and narrow. This a bleak, gritty world with characters that have hit rock bottom, but will do anything to make things right. With Masanobu Takayanagi's cinematography and the score from both Dickon Hinchliffe and Eddie Vedder, Cooper makes all the right choices and sets all the right tones in this dark, "Rust Belt of America" world he's created.

      Some may find themselves underwhelmed by the ending. That's understandable. I myself felt a bit that way too. There are certainly moments where it appears to be style over substance, but I applaud Cooper for going against the grain, and that final shot of Bale stuck with me. Regardless of a few nitpicks, this is still a memorable film with some superb performances from the entire cast. It may be only Cooper's second film, but it marks another strong effort from a director on the rise. I give Out of the Furnace an A (★★★★).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

Twice Born

Hours

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Last Days on Mars

Cast of Characters:

Vincent Campbell - Liev Schrieber

Charles Brunel - Elias Koteas

Rebecca Lane - Romola Garai

Marko Petrovic - Goran Kostic

Robert Irwin - Johnny Harris

Richard Harrington - Tom Cullen

Lauren Dalby - Yusra Warsama

Kim Aldrich - Olivia Williams

Director - Ruairi Robinson

Screenplay - Clive Dawson

Based on the short story The Animators by Sydney J. Bounds

Rated R violence and language

      It's Gravity meets 28 Days Later as Liev Schrieber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai and Olivia Williams star in the outer space thriller The Last Days on Mars.

      Eight members of a research crew manning the Tantalus Base outpost on Mars are just 19 hours away from finishing their mission. They're led by Charles Brunel (Elias Koteas) and Vincent Campbell (Liev Schrieber). With so little time left before their mission ends and being that they're in outer space, something bad happening is inevitable.

      That something bad occurs when two of the members, scientist Marko Petrovic (Goran Kostic) and his crewmate Richard Harrington (Tom Cullen), devise a ruse that enables them to escape a mandatory exit briefing so that Petrovic can capture more samples of what he believes is life on another planet. The life they find though winds up being much more deadly than anyone could have anticipated.

      In the tradition of other sci-fi films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Red Planet and last year's Prometheus, this is another space expedition gone awry type of film. This is more akin to Red Planet though than the aforementioned greater sci-fi flicks in that it's slow paced, tedious and the characters are thinly written. We don't get much motivation out of any of the characters, and before we can maybe hope to see exactly what type of "life" it is they found, the film devolves into another "zombie-turning virus" movie. That would be all fine and dandy if it could at least provide some suspense and thrills to entertain the viewer. It provides neither. What it does provide is set pieces and effects that look like they belong in a made-for-TV movie (maybe slightly better though) and a talented cast that, due to the weak script, is given very little to work with. Liev Schrieber is a great actor and for a number of years he's turned in some fine supporting work. This is really the first film I've seen of his where he's handling the responsibility of the lead. I don't blame his performance. He does the best he can with what's given him. I do believe he has what it takes to be a lead actor, this film ain't it though. The biggest problem I found with the film is first-time director Ruairi Robinson's tone. This film doesn't know whether it wants to be original and minimalist like Moon or just another B-movie monster flick. Robinson tries to have it both ways and to be fair, the first 20-25 minutes or so had my attention. Once it finally turns course and heads into zombies attacking humans territory, I lost interest 'cause it lacked the fun and the suspense of what Ridley Scott brought to Alien and Prometheus or what John Carpenter brought to The Thing.

     I can't say it's a horrible film, but it falls in a category far worse than being horrible: forgettably mediocre. There are a few standout moments of suspense and while the film does feature a talented cast, they're really grasping at straws when it comes to the bland script they're working with. Not knowing what type of film it wants to be doesn't help either. I give The Last Days on Mars a C- (★★).     

Homefront

Cast of Characters:

Phil Broker - Jason Statham

Morgan "Gator" Bodine - James Franco

Sheryl Gott - Winona Ryder

Cassie Klum - Kate Bosworth

Susan Hatch - Rachelle Lefevre

Cyrus Hanks - Frank Grillo

Sheriff Keith Rodriguez - Clancy Brown

Maddy Broker - Izabela Vidovic

Director - Gary Fleder

Screenplay - Sylvester Stallone

Based on the novel Homefront by Chuck Logan

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief sexuality

      Jason Statham is back to kicking everyone's ass with Kate Bosworth, Frank Grillo and Academy Award nominees Winona Ryder and James Franco in Homefront. Think Taken meets Breaking Bad meets Lizard Lick Towing meets Duck Dynasty.

      Phil Broker (Jason Statham) is a widowed, ex-undercover DEA Agent who has now moved down south with his daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic). It's a small, quaint town, almost too quaint. That means we're gonna get that one law enforcement official (Clancy Brown) that seems to be the only one on duty throughout the entire film, the one attractive local (Rachelle Lefevre) Statham takes a liking too (much to his daughter's pleasure), and of course, the number of yokels that don't take too kindly to Statham being all up in their neck of the woods.

      Following a school playground skirmish between Maddy and one of the kid bullies, Broker finds himself in deep when the kid's mother, Cassie Klum (Kate Bosworth), asks her meth making brother Morgan "Gator" Bodine (James Franco) and his white-trash girlfriend Sheryl Gott (Winona Ryder) to scare Statham and his little girl off. As Seinfeld would say, "Well... good luck with aaaaall that."

      So much for this week of film batting 1.000 for me. There's really not much to expect here. It comes off as a film you would've seen back in the 80's and 90's. Knowing that Sly Stallone himself wrote the script, that makes sense. I can't knock Sly too hard. The man did write Rocky... but he also wrote Staying Alive, Rhinestone, Cobra, Over the Top, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Driven. The problem here is that he takes the material too seriously. Yeah, I know, you can't make light of child abduction, but as the storyline progresses, it just gets more and more ridiculous. Gary Fleder hasn't had the illustrious career all directors dream of having (he did direct Don't Say a Word which I enjoyed), but he does his best at putting together a well-made action film with some effective editing. Although there was an unnecessary sex scene between Franco and Ryder that literally looked like it was photoshop, copy and pasted into the film.  Like I said, it's a predictable, you get what you pay for film. The only surprise here are a few of the casting choices. When I first saw the trailer in theaters, they concealed the bad guy's face until Bosworth walks up to ask him for a favor. That's when they revealed him - wait for it... wait for it! Oh, hey, look, it's a meth-head James Franco as not Gator Bodine, but "Gaaaturrrr Bodiiiine!" and his shit eating grin (the theater broke out into snickers when they finally showed him during the trailer). Franco's a fantastic actor and considering he's more known for his "artsy-fartsy" persona, you can understand why he'd wanna take a break, stretch outside his comfort zone and sink his teeth into a greasy, white-trash part like this. The problem is he's not really all that intimidating and you're trying to pair him (and Ryder too) up against Jason Statham, who next to Chuck Norris, is the last guy I'd ever wanna criticize and believe me, I'm doing my best to tread lightly here. Seriously, a Statham vs. Franco and Ryder fight would last probably three seconds and that's if Mr. Statham was being generous. It's just not a believable conflict and even with half a functioning brain you'd still know full well that Statham could roundhouse kick Franco and Ryder into the next century like it's a snap of the finger. It was great to see Ryder back onscreen again though. Remember when she was big back in the late 80's to 90's? Yeah, I blame Saks. Who is believable and works terrifically here is Kate Bosworth as Franco's skin-and-bones, crack smoking sister. She's actually fantastic and I've never really been much a fan of hers (She still has a long, long, long way to go before I forgive her for her awful take on Lois Lane in the stinker Superman Returns), but it's a believable performance that makes me wonder if the filmmakers really had her smoking crack. Hey, method acting works. Just ask Daniel Day-Lewis.

      There's not much to say here. It's not like I was expecting Oscar gold and was absolutely let down. Statham is a great actor and has done some great films before, but it's all relative to my past beef with McConaughey. With him you had a great actor wasting his talent on dopey chick flicks, and with Statham, after you watch films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and The Bank Job, you're also left wondering why he resorts to doing harmless, yet still dopey films like these. While he certainly has a lot of charisma and works really well with newcomer Izabela Vidovic, it's still just another textbook character out of the Statham playbook that we've seen him do time and time again. It's not a horrible film, so I won't be scratching my head in confusion if you rent it. Just go into it expecting exactly what it is and you'll be fine. I give Homefront a C (★★½).

REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...

The Last Days on Mars

Out of the Furnace