Steal

What makes a good heist movie? Seeing the intricate planning, watching the execution, witnessing the getaway, and watching the authorities get fooled. All of this must happen under the umbrella of clever, tricky or downright sneaky. Steal gets a couple of these right. Just enough to enjoy. The primary "clever factor" here is that the criminals are experts in extreme sports (roller blading, base jumping, etc.) and use that in their getaway. But we don't get to participate in the planning or much of the execution. So really, a second tier heist...
3 stars (out of 5)

London Boulevard

Recommended by Netflix because I liked In Bruges, I can see why. Colin Farrell plays a released ex-con who is working to get back to "regular life". Unfortunately, all his connections lead to criminal activities while he is interested in leaving that world. The entire film is a series of these connections and their outcome. Dark, and not nearly as funny as In Bruges, but similar in tone. I continually held out hope that Farrell would find a way out even when it seemed like he was pulled back to crime for good. One minor complaint... I did find myself missing several key scenes because I couldn't understand the "English" language. But maybe that is part of the charm.
3 stars (out of 5)

Redemption

Deeper, more soulful Statham. Less action, more character. At least, that was the intent. Statham plays Joey Jones, an intentionally homeless Afghanistan war vet in London. He falls into an opportunity to get cleaned up, during which time he takes on a mission to earn some money and avenge the death of his homeless friend. This is not a half-bad look at the angst that vets probably experience on return to their home. A sense of hopelessness, lack of control and lack of options. Of course, Statham presents the necessary tough guy routine when it is needed, but that is not the purpose of this film. I am sure that because of this the film doesn't fit any typical demographic. But I liked it...
3 stars (out of 5)

The Hot Flashes

In a small town where not much happens but the local high school sports, a funding decline promises to put the mobile breast cancer screening van out of business. This is just sort of cause that moms can get behind. So the state champion girls basketball team from 20 years ago challenges the current state champion high school girls to a 3 game series as a fundraiser for the clinic. Hijinks ensue. The quality of this film is very Saturday afternoon TV in every way. If you want to see a sports film, see anything else. If you have nothing else going on... well, see anything else.

2 stars (out of 5)

Red Dawn

A cookie-cutter film from a cookie-cutter script. Perhaps it was supposed to be meaningful now because of the North Korean presence in the news, but this is not novel, or even exciting. I would rate this as an excellent B-movie.

2 stars (out of 5)

Karate Girl

A nice little Japanese karate film staring a couple of young Japanese girls who are masters of their craft. When their father is killed, and they are separated as kids, they each develop their expertise with Karate as a way of holding on to what is important. And neither knows the other is still alive. Of course, one is "good" and one is "bad", but when they meet, family is more important. Excellent choreography in the fight scenes and the power and nature of karate is demonstrated beautifully. This is a great late-night movie.
3 stars (out of 5)

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Film 2 in The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire picks up with life after victory. President Snow is mad about everything, mostly concerned that any spark of hope picked up by the little people will cause him lots of trouble. So the districts become even more restrictive and are locked down under martial law. Snow figures out that to get rid of his antagonists (our protagonists) from District 12, he will send them back into the games. Once again, a well visualized world, contrasting the haves and have-nots. I do think the game arena was not quite as well portrayed, with all the clever subtleties that made it a fantastic arena left out or brushed over. But otherwise, the plot stays true to book, and the created world is both believable and fantastic at the same time.
4 stars (out of 5)