Movie #004- Taken

Released: January 30th, 2009
Length: 1hr 31min
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Pierre Morel
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace

"Taken" is a parent's worst nightmare. A story about an ex-CIA operative chasing down his kidnapped daughter through the world of sex trafficking in Europe. Kim (Maggie Grace) takes a vacation to Paris with a friend only to be immediately abducted by the Albanian Mafia. The story then follows Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his efforts to rescue her. It's a good story, equipped with high energy, heavy-hitting action, but also a strong emotion performance by Neeson, who conveys the horrors of the situation both as a parent, and CIA agent, quite well. Is he over the top? A little. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, his daughter is being sold as a sex slave for gods sake. Maggie Grace's character is, for lack of a better word, annoying. She's a bit too stereotypical teenager, and the limited amount of time she spends in front of the character is filled with cheesy dialogue. However, Grace does play the role of annoying, high-maintenance quite well, such as her character "Shannon" on ABC's "LOST". The bad guys, characterized as scum of the Earth gang bangers are just as crude and villainous as you want them to be. Neeson's encounters with them are skin tingling. The adrenaline rush of the chase and the peppered-in action scenes complete a solid movie. And that's what "Taken" is...solid. It has a bit of everything from sex to daddy issues, all the way from guns to remarkable plain Parisian apartments. The climax of the movie, for fear of spoiling is simply thrilling. It doesn't disappoint on any scale, and the emotion and intensity bleeds from the screen. If your looking for an action movie that will hold your attention, "Taken" comes recommended. Or if you like "happy endings". Your call.

Score: (86/100) B
Characters- B-
Story- B+
Visual Presentation- B+

Movie #001- Angels and Demons

Released: May 15, 2009
Length: 2hrs 20 min
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer


As an avid Dan Brown fan, one could say I was excited (beyond excited) to see director Ron Howard's second try at a film adaptation of one of Brown's marvels. I had higher hopes for "Angels and Demons", it just felt like a more screen friendly story than the mega popular "Da Vinci Code". Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. Tom Hanks, a terrific actor, was brilliant as Robert Langdon, the lead character. However, some of the supporting cast, primarily Vittoria Vetra, portrayed by Ayelet Zurer was a cardboard and flat character than didn't seem to ever come to life the same way she did in the pages of the novel. Ewan McGregror's adaption of the Carmelengo, the would-be villian of the story, was breath-taking. He gave a great performance of a religious man trapped in the battle between science and religion, and he was as lovable as he was hatable throughout the film.
Overall, this film was a win. A terrific adapation of a complex story that made it enjoyable throughout. In comparison to the book, it is cliche to say that the book is always better, and some screenplay changes made by Akiva Goldsmith and David Koepp, did detract from the story. Noneteless, it was an action packed ride and eventful religious meets science thriller capped off with a punctiuation of twists and turns to the very end.
Angels and Demons is a movie worth-seeing in 2009, and a must-see for Dan Brown fans.

Overall Score (88/100) B+
Characters- B
Story- B+
Visual Presentation- A-