2.10.2010

64. A Dangerous Man
65. Hachiko: A Dog's Story
66. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
67. Love Happens
68. Trial and Error

Thanks to an impending snow storm, yesterday was a day spent mainly on the couch. Not much else to do when they're calling for as much snow as they were. Fortunately, we didn't get hit nearly as hard as the forecasts said. Roughly 2 or 3" total. Anyway, let's get on with the reviews.


A Dangerous Man is Steven Seagal's latest DTV flick. He plays Shane Daniels, a former Special Forces op who has just served 6 years in prison for a crime he didn;t commit. Upon his release, he finds himself in legitimate hot water after witnessing a couple of Chinese mafia kill a state trooper and other potential witnesses. He winds up on the run with a duffel bag full of cash and a girl that he rescued from the Chinese fellas.

There's really not a ton to talk about here really. It's your typical Seagal action flick. In director Keoni Waxman, Seagal seems to have found someone who gets how to make a Seagal movie. They teamed up on The Keeper prior to this one and it was one of his best in quite some time. This one continues that trend. It's not a great movie but it's better than a lot of the DTV shit Seagal has peddled over the past few years. Good action sequences and fighting scenes.

A Dangerous Man is recommended to Seagal fans. If you don't like him, you won't like it.


Hachiko: A Dog's Story is not my standard fare. First of all, I don't do drama all that often. I find that they too frequently lack the type of conflict that I enjoy in my movies. Secondly, I usually don't care for animal movies. Mainly because they never end well. Something tragic happens and I wind up bawling like an idiot while trying to pretend that I'm not. And third, I just don't care very much about Richard Gere. I've enjoyed a few of his movies but in the pantheon of my favorite actors, he's not even close to making the cut. Besides, his middle name is Tiffany. What the fuck is up with that? Anywho, the reason I wanted to see this movie is that it was filmed right here in my home town of Woonsocket. Just about a 2 minute drive from my house actually. Seeing things on tv that I've actually seen in person always dazzles me for some reason.

Hachiko is based on a true story. Also, there is a 1987 Japanese movie telling this story. Here, Gere plays a college music professor who commutes to work daily via the train. Upon returning to the station one evening, he finds a lost puppy wandering along the platform. Since no one else is around, he winds up bringing him home. Flyers are placed around town but no one comes forward to claim the dog. So, Gere and his family ultimately wind up keeping him. Over time, the dog proves his loyalty in ways unheard of.

Given all the strikes this movie had against it going in, I'm surprised to say that I actually liked it. The cast is good with Gere actually turning in a solid performance. Good support from Joan Allen, Sarah Roemer and Jason Alexander as well. The story was interesting enough to keep my attention for the duration. And seeing the Dominos Pizza that I order from on my tv screen? Just priceless. Hachiko is recommended.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a quasi sequel/remake to Abel Ferrara's 1992 flick Bad Lieutenant. Of course, that's what the marketing folks want you to believe. From what I understand, this was a separate script that had the Bad Lieutenant name tacked on by producers in an attempt to garner some sort of buzz. Director Werner Herzog claims he'd never seen the original and considers this to be its own movie.

This one tells the story of a police officer who gets injured in the line of duty. He winds up addicted to pain medication due to his injuries and winds up ingesting much harder substances to cope with the pain. He has to try to solve a case involving a family while dealing with his life spiraling down the drain.

Nicolas Cage stars here and is excellent. I'm actually a fan of his and have enjoyed quite a few of his movies. The supporting cast is solid with Val Kilmer, Eva Mendes, Brad Dourif, Xzibit and Shawn Hatosy featured. The story is interesting and engaging. I recommend this one.


Love Happens is a 2009 romantic drama starring Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. Going into this one, I didn't know much about it. Based on the movie poster, I assumed it was some sort of cutesy romantic comedy. While there are some funny moments, it definitely doesn't classify as a comedy at all.

Eckhart plays Burke Ryan, author of a self help book dealing with the loss of loved ones. He hosts seminars and workshops utilizing methods from his book to help people with their losses. While in Seattle, he meets Aniston's Eloise, a florist. They get together and become friends but things aren't quite how they seem.

Performances here are pretty good. Eckhart and Aniston are both likable. Always a plus. Support comes from Martin Sheen, Dan Fogler, and Judy Greer. All 3 are good but a bit underutilized. More of Greer is always a good thing. Anywho, the story is a bit predictable as it's fairly easy to see where the story is going after about 20 minutes or so. It doesn't help much that the trailer gives away a couple of the film's plot twists. Not that this is The Sixth Sense or anything, but sometimes these twists make the movie. Blowing your load in the trailer just kind of takes something away from the experience.

Overall, Love Happens is not a great movie. The cast manages to make it better than it should be though. Check it out.


Trial and Error closed out the night for us. This 1997 comedy stars Jeff Daniels, Michael Richards and Charlize Theron. Daniels is an attorney who just made partner at his law firm. Richards is his best friend, an actor. Daniels gets sent out to a remote town in Nevada to request a continuance in an important case, thus interfering with his impending bachelor party. Richards decides to follow him out there to throw him his bash anyway. Things go a bit haywire and Daniels gets hurt in a barroom brawl. Due to his inability to function on painkillers, Daniels can't make it to court, sending Richards in his stead. Things go wrong and the case winds up going to trial with Richards stuck playing the lawyer.

This is another of those guilty pleasure movies that I tend to really enjoy. There's not much to the story and there's not much to the performances but it's an easy way to kill 90 minutes. There's nothing wrong with that. Daniels and Theron are both likable and have pretty good chemistry together. Richards plays kind of a watered down version of his Seinfeld character but that's what he is best at. Theron looks great here. This is before she started getting into the serious roles and is the time period that I most enjoyed her work.

Trial and Error is a guilty pleasure movie, not much more. If you're looking for high art, go elsewhere.