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Under Suspicion

I really prefer action drama movies so approving this movie is an attribute of sorts.  As I watched this movie I kept thinking that the script was targeted for the live stage as the location changes were infrequent and the dialog was superb.  The interplay between just a few actors was live stage to me.  Put another way, the script was just a delight, a wonder.  My second thought of this movie was how wonderful the director did.  The director’s concept of supplying images of what people were thinking was done to perfection.  In total, I found no production value lacking.  The overall audio design was very well done, flawless in fact.  Gene Hackman came across as trying for perfection and he never fell short.  It seemed that Hackman was inspired in his performance.  Freeman and Monica Bellucci were superbly convincing in their roles, as was Thomas Jane.  All these actors seemed to be the “real life” characters, which was an intense treat to become a part of.  I was taken out of my world and put into a foreign country and immersed into a story that kept me stuck like a powerful magnet.  It seemed that all the below the line aspects and thus the crew that performed those tasks should be proud of their contribution to this entertaining creation.  I strongly recommend this movie for the adult audience that can appreciate a good adult theme story whose strength is dialog and not physical action.

Uncommon Valor

Watching this movie, with headsets, I found the audio an annoying distraction.  I got the distinct impression that no live audio was recorded and if it was, never used.   The sound effect treatment was anything but realistic much of the time.  It seemed that no live Foley work was done but rather sound effect library was the source of sounds.  The dialog, all or most, sounded like ADR, which came across as unrealistic a lot of the time.

The acting, directing and editing seemed at times to be paint by the numbers.  The blocking was noticeably flawed at least once to make a camera movement more easily work.  The acting came across as just that, acting; a lot of awkward moments between actors took place.  Some of the actor’s lines were camp even corny.  I never got lost into the movie because too many of the component parts were not inspired and the plot failed to flow but was a bumpy ride.  The total production came across as being made for TV quality, not feature film.  The target age group, I would guess was teen.

The script was predictable except for a brief middle part.  The film appeared to be a pandering patriotic piece.  All in all, I thought paying $5.50 was barely worth the cost. I recommend that you buy something of better value.

Bad Company was a jewel of a find. I just could not believe that a comedy and spy movie could be put together with so much success. I lost my self in this movie which is a good indicator that it worked. Anthony Hopkins being in this movie was a bit of a shock. I think of him as being a serious actor. He is a serious actor in this movie which is a wonderful counter to Chris Rock. I have a daughter that will not watch violence. She stayed and enjoyed the complete movie. This is a definite buy.

Murder at 1600 for me was a movie that I could have easily viewed on TV, VHS, or DVD. There was nothing magical or special in this movie. This movie will give you what you pay for if it sells for $6 or less, better yet, rent it for less.

Fire Down Below is a real treat of a movie. I sort of like Steven Seagal movies. The production values are quite high. The script was quite good. The acting, especially by the supporting actors was very convincing. The director did a very good job with the script, talent, location and music. The only down side was I developed a tension a sort of anxiety as I watched the show. The subject matter was disturbing and this uncomfortable feeling, I felt, was an indication that the movie was working on me. It is my strong opinion that to wait to see this move on TV would strip away the experience. I strongly recommend this as a buy