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Reviews
16 Blocks (2006)
Solid Action Pick
Bruce Willis does an excellent turn on "16 Blocks." For an old guy, he still got it here.
He plays Detective Mosley, and Mosley's reason for hi-jacking an MTA bus coincides with his desire to successfully escort a fast-talking witness, Eddie Bunker (played with sublime brilliance by Mos Def), from police custody to a courthouse. The title of the film is derived from the distance--"16 Blocks"--between the police precinct where Bunker has been held to the courthouse where he is due to testify.
Relative to the plot: aging cop must escort witness 16 blocks, going into the film I had doubts that Director Richard Donner and Writer Richard Wenk would have enough skill to pull off an action-packed drama, let alone edge-of-your-seat thriller. But, giving credit where credit is due, they surpassed my expectations, and then some.
Like Det. Mosley, "16 Blocks" delivers the goods.
Of course, one does have to look the other way during some of the movie's sequences, especially the never-ending string of escapes that the gimpy detective and his ever-chatting custodial responsibility make in the course of their short trip. Believe it, Houdini would be impressed by these two if he were still around. Even after Mosley wedges the hi-jacked bus into an alleyway with no outlets they manage to elude their pursuers. But, as we all know by now, that is the nature of "thrillers." Most often the pursued are trapped in no-escape situations by slipping out the back door, or high-tailing it up a stairwell, or, as aforementioned, hi-jacking a city bus.
Willis and Def, the two lead characters in the movie, carry the movie, and do so with a combination of dead-pan humor, knowing exchanges, and sheer will.
Gone (2002)
Take your parents to see it over the weekend - they will be changed
Here's the deal: It's real, it's heavy, and it's inspirational, but NOT AT ALL cheesy. Don't like that? Don't see it. I won't say much else. I will say that Tim Chey was shockingly good now that he's paid his dues with "Genius Club and 'Suing the Devil." I LOVE end times movies! I was very happy that this film never got political and blamed God for the number of "down on their luck" people that were shown, nor was the race card ever pulled out. It was also refreshing that the actor's all realized they were lost without God.
It's very funny at parts, but be prepared for some serious drama. In no ways is it cliché or contrived or boring. Let's just say that's it not Oliver Stone dramatic. This truly is a must see. To say "I laughed, I cried" would be really lame. It is the truth, though.
We know that Chey's crowning achievement "Suing the Devil" is going to take the cake, and I won't be complaining. But this movie deserves to be experienced and taken in by the masses.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Easily the best
I was involved with one of the first test audiences almost a year ago, and came away quite impressed with the acting performances and heartfelt punch of Pursuit of Happiness. This is easily one of Smith's best films, as he pours his heart and soul into the main character. While the plot may remain a bit transparent, it leaves you asking the question of yourself - how long would you keep battling to get what you really want out of life? I plan on seeing the film again when it releases to the general public, and am very interested to see what changes were made after running it through the test screenings. As I saw it then, it needed very few, if any, changes.