Cold Pursuit (2019)

This American version stayed surprisingly close to the Norwegian original, yet I still preferred the Norwegian one more.

Rating: C

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Films like this make me hate other people. I hate people who act on their hatred. It's a great film that tells an important true story, and hopefully does more than simply entertain. Excellent performances.

Rating: B

Wanted (2008)

Lots of killing--some cool sequences I haven't seen before--and high production values. Story? Well, it takes a back seat to the action. I had high hopes; perhaps in the realm of Sin City. It fell way short but still entertained.

Rating: C

The Departed (2006)

It's fortunate for the viewer that the source material for this film was so good, but also that the man overseeing it's American adaptation is such a master of his craft. Namely: Martin Scorsese.

This could have been just another crime drama; but with a top notch screenplay, A-list actors, appropriate editing, and the aforementioned direction, it excels into richer territory.

Was this the film most deserving of Scorsese's Oscar? Maybe. I find Oscars are rarely given when they are most deserved. Either way, it's a worthy candidate and a great film.

Rating: B+

Doomsday (2008)

A really cool set-up, followed by some great action, at which point things take a turn for the bizarre. I can see the writer and his buddy smoking weed and playing Grand Theft Auto, when one turns to the other and says, "Hey, wouldn't it be killer if someone in a Bentley suddenly pulled up alongside Mel on his way to the Thunderdome?" Well, in this movie, you'll get to see that.

Mad Max and 28 Days Later are just two of the many movies they borrow from. Additionally, you will discover the answers to questions like "What if a hot chick played the role of Russell Crowe in Gladiator? What if Kurt Russell was escaping from Scotland instead of L.A. and New York? What if the fellows from LOTR took the shortcut through the mountain and found a $250,000 set of wheels instead of nothing but heartache?

If you'd like to find out the answers to these questions and more, this movie is for you. If all this sounds like a bunch of nonsense, move on. At best you'll get some good laughs from this amalgam of movies past.

Rating: C

Made (2001)

Sort of an indie buddy/mob flick. To his credit, Sean Combs didn't ruin the film for me.

Rating: C

Contraband (2012)

An average action thriller about smuggling and betrayal. Nothing to write home about.

Rating: C