In Theaters: Stealth

Josh Lucas, Jamie Foxx and Jessica Biel star as futuristic jet pilots in the latest summer thrill ride from Director Rob Cohen. The story (as it is) follows the pilots as they adjust to adding a fourth to their trio, a pilot less stealth fighter with advanced artificial intelligence. The new member is smarter, faster and more lethal than the rest of the team and to the chagrin of them all, it has no emotions. That makes the tag line “It will replace us all” a little creepier than it was intended. Don’t be mislead by the trailers though, the film is about a lot more than the humans chasing around the new robotic jet. It is actually a juiced up love story sprinkled with great action scenes that happen to involve a robotic jet fighter.
This film pleasantly surprised me as I expected it to be a mindless yet enjoyable summer movie. I actually thought the story was more than passable if not predictable but I still enjoyed it with no regrets. Josh Lucas played the lead with just enough confidence to be believable and just enough sensitivity to make us root for him. Foxx provided the standard comic relief but in this case, you can feel Foxx’s charisma ooze off the screen the whole time you watch him. Much like Will Smith and Matt Damon, Foxx can handle himself well in action films and dramas very well.
The breakout performance here belongs to Jessica Biel. She shows no hint of wearing the goody two shoes she has been saddled with by appearing in “7th Heaven” for the past few years. She is all grown up and really carries the load when it is her turn. Her and Lucas showed surprising chemistry and the scenes with them were dead on.
As Cohen did in “The Fast and The Furious”, he shines the spotlight on his uncanny ability to film fast moving action sequences. The scenes involving the stealth fighters are magnificently fast paced and exciting, you feel like you are right on top of the action. Even the digitized scenes feel, look and sound realistic. While some dismiss Cohen as a trickster and hack, I think he has a knack when it comes to bringing fast moving action to the screen and he certainly did so in “Stealth”. This film is a fast- paced thrill ride that deserves to be seen on a big screen, so if you want to see it don’t wait for DVD..unless you have a 92” screen in your house.

In Theaters: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

It looks like summer movies are becoming fun again! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and provide the tounge in cheek action/comedy/drama that summer movie goers will thoroughly enjoy.
Pitt and Jolie are the title characters that are going through some marital problems and the film opens with them in counseling. In flashbacks they tell the story of how they met and how the marriage problems started. This isn't the usual marital issues like the Mr. keeps leaving the toilet seat up, there problems are a little more intense. They are both contract killers for competing agencies and have been keeping that fact away from each other for six years. (Remember I said tounge in cheek)
Pitt and Jolie absolutely light up the screen with their presence, in case there was any doubt left in anyone's mind, Pitt is still a grade A movie star and keeps getting better with each film. Jolie on the other hand is good but not Pitt good. I have no problems with Jolie ( except the Tomb Raider sequel) but she seems to advertise more than there is. The dialogue is peppy and smart and through all the explosions and gun fire Pitt and Jolie keep the comedic tone of the film going all the way to the end. Another bright spot in the film is Vince Vaughn as Pitt's friend and co worker. Vaughn always delivers and does another great job as the hyper sidekick to Pitt's cool leading man.
Doug Liman directed this film and coming off of "Bourne Identity" he continues to display his own unique form of filming action sequences. Its just hard to believe that he directed the TV Series "The O.C."...if Mr. & Mrs. Smith knew that they would take a contract out on him.

In Theaters: War of The Worlds

Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning star in Steven Speilberg's latest alien adventure. Unlike the homesick lovable alien in "E.T." and the curious aliens in "Close Encounters", the aliens in War of The Worlds are here for one reason...to exterminate mankind. For those of you that have been in hibernation for the past fifty years, "War" is based on the H.G. Wells book of the same name, although the story has been tweaked and updated over the years the premise remains the same, mankind must go and make room for the new breed in town.

Cruise plays Ray, a divorcee that apparently only cares about himself and has no time or use for anyone's feelings but his own. When the aliens show up Cruise must save himself, his son ( Justin Chatwin) and young daughter ( Dakota Fanning) from the onslaught from the otherworld and redeem himself as a dad.

The movie is entertaining, well paced and delivers on most fronts. The inventive premise for the aliens themselves unfolds just slow enough to satisfy our curiousity and fast enough to get to the point. The dark tone to the film is effective as we the audience feel like we are in the same dark as the characters in the movie. Speilberg once again proves that no one can hold on to a mood in a movie like he can, this film is both heavy and light at the same time and holds the viewer in the seat until the very end. Cruise is Cruise and carrys the load in yet another film and carrys it like the veteren he is. Very few actors perform as well in "blockbusters" as Tom Cruise, its hard to fathom that it was 1983 when he slid across the floor and into the mainstream in "Risky Business". Several blockbusters later and Cruise proves he has the staying power. Considering Cruise's star power and box office clout, it is curious that he hasnt had a major film gross more in the U.S. than it did overseas since Jerry Maguire ( 1996)

I was mildly disappointed in Dakota Fanning's performance but im not sure if she flubbed it or Speilberg is losing his touch with child actors. Speilberg brought out the best of Drew Barrymore in "E.T." but Barrymore was truly a child that was acting. Fanning has worked with Deniro, Denzel Washington and Sean Penn. She is hardly a child that Speilberg has to trick into making faces and noises. Fanning has delivered truly amazing performances during her short career, most notably in the T.V. Miniseries "Taken" and the excellent "Man on Fire" with Denzel. In War of the Worlds however Fanning's screams and yells wore on me quickly as did her flopping back and forth from scared little girl to brave little girl. This in no way ruined or stained the movie, I was just expecting more from Fanning.

I enjoyed "War of The Worlds" and it is a true summer blockbuster.