'28 Weeks Later': Now, with gore!

It's not very often that one feels like a sedative after a movie. Watching '28 Weeks Later' (trailer) was great, but not for the weak of heart. It was one of the most thrilling experiences I have had in a theater in a while, and I only kind of mean that as entertaining. The action sequences in this movie were terrifying at time and I began feeling that I, like the characters in the movie, were dreading the possible reappearance of the zombies. Wow, I think I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here.

This movie is one of those rare breeds of sequels that actually aren't crap. A follow-up to 2002's '28 Days Later' (review), the movie follows the results of an evacuation of the UK following an outbreak of the "rage" virus that turns humans into zombie-esque killing machines. By the time of the sequel, the "infected" have all supposedly died and the U.S. military has created a green zone in an effort to rebuild the city. If you're getting shades of Iraq and September 11, well, you're not stupid. The references are supposed to be there (and elsewhere throughout the movie), but the director does not beat you over the head with them. If anything, the similarities come across as being more intrinsic to the situation than simply a carbon copy of current events as, like Iraq, the situation in London gets out of hand and a foe that was thought to be defeated rears it's bloody head. It's more political underlying message differs from the original, which was a more personal story about survival. This movie also differs in its treatment of the zombies/infected: they are actually there. In rewatching the original, I was struck by how little they were in it. For the sequel, they went all out and made a movie that was bloodier and, at times, more terrifying. It was the type of movie that I think could actually give me nightmares.

I was glad to see that Danny Boyle, who directed the first movie, was around for the second, even if only as an executive producer. I imagine that his influence helped keep the movie a more creative flimmaking experience, instead of simply an exploitative followup aimed at capitalizing on the profitability of its predecessor. It was great that they also decided not to just remake the first movie or continue the story but, in a way, sought to reinvent the franchise it had created. A third movie is reportedly in the works and I'm sure it will have just as unoriginal of a title. I'll just have to see what new direction they take with the the third one.

Grade: B+

'Breach': No TNT Movie After All

'Breach' (trailer), could have been really crappy. It was based on a true, recent story; it is from that always dangerous "thriller" genre; and it's lead actor is the milquetoast Ryan Phillippe. But filmmaker Billy Ray works the same magic he did with 2003's 'Shattered Glass', where he told the story of fabricating writer Stephen Glass with Hayden Christensen as his leading man. 'Breach' is a taunt thriller that kept my attention the entire time, even though I knew what was going to happen at the end. And it walked that tight line of making a thriller where you care about the events and a drama where you analyze the emotions without going too far either way.

The story Ray tells is that of Robert Hanssen, and FBI agent who sold secrets to the Russians for at least 15 years. Not only do we know this from the beginning, but at the top of the movie, we see former Attorney General John Ashcroft talking about the apprehension. Instead of focusing on the villian, Ray focuses on Phillippe's Eric O'Neill, and FBI operative who went undercover as Hanssen's assistant to gleam incriminating evidence. Because they've already told us the ending, they are able to keep it interesting on how Phillippe's character is affected by the work he is doing. Plus there's the fact that Hanssen is played to brillian effect by Chris Cooper, who is reliably supberb. He's an actor who is known for playing characters brilliantly without being showy and trying to grab the spotlight. Here he really gets to shine by using these gifts to leave out much of who Hanssen is and keep us wondering -- that's part of what keeps it exciting. It's also great watching him pull of the staunch piety and chew out Phillippe the next. It truly is a well-cast film (Phillippe being the weakest rung, although he does OK), with great supporting roles by a number of people, including the always great Laura Linney, who has proven to be great at bringing depth to what could be small, cardboard characters.

Overall the movie is not particularly innovative -- there's nothing here that makes me rethink how a film of this genre can be made. It's not a movie that at the end of the year will probably be on my best of 2007 list. But I certainly enjoyed the movie and thought the pacing and the acting were both notable. There is no reason why more movies can't be like this -- a blockbuster action movie could learn a lot from it.

Grade: B+

'Infernal Affairs': Smooth criminals/cops

In this country, the movie 'Infernal Affairs' (trailer) has the distinction of being known more as the source material for Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winner, 'The Departed'. Like most Americans, I saw the English take before the original Hong Kong blockbuster, which also cleared up at awards ceremonies itself. I will have to admit that I have never been the biggest fan of Asian cinema -- not that I think it's bad, it's just that I have never gotten into it like, say, Mexican movies. Something about the style just never suited me. That being said, it's hard to argue that 'Infernal Affairs' is not a first-rate crime drama.

The movie is slicker and the set-up more realistic than its American cousin. Both movies share the same basic idea of an undercover cop working for in a criminal enterprise and another cop who is secretly feeding information to the same crime boss. Where Scorsese's movie takes two pretty young guys, 'Infernal Affairs' puts his guys in hiding for 10 years before the major events of the movie take place. And although Scorsese is known as one of the real masters of American film, directors Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak crafted a taunt thriller that is less bloated and more exciting with the slickness of a true eye for action. That's not to say that both are not worthy movies -- I'm no film snob who refuses to acknowledge quality in 'The Departed' because I want to show I'm sophisticated and have seen the original (kind of the movie equivalent of liking a band before they became popular and "sold out"). Leonardo DiCaprio truly thrives in his movie and creates a level of psychological dilemmas and violence as its focus (instead of action) that creates a more dense tableau.

Each movie is good in its own right, but to pass the movie up simply because it has subtitles would be to miss a great thriller. The action is better shot than movies you will generally see from this country and it does have the benefit of actually coming up with a great story on its own.

Grade: B+

'North by Northwest': It's No 'Agent Cody Banks', But...

In my queue I'm trying to mix it up a bit and catch up on some classics that I haven't seen and where better to look than one of the masters, Alfred Hitchcock. 'North by Northwest' was an especially poignant movie to be viewing considering the talk of a possible new Cold War looming during some tough talk around this year's G8 summit. We're far from the US-Soviet relations depicted in Hitchock's film, but that's beside the point. What is noticeable is how well the movie continues to be a relevant and fascinating look at how what is real and what is moral can become disguised and fluid.

The movie revolves around a character played by Cary Grant who is an average Madison Avenue advertising executive (an interesting choice itself) who is mistaken for a spy and ends up fleeing both the authorities and his possible enemies. The plot does not have a particularly straightforward approach and lurches in different directions as the situation changes in what some might find confounding. Instead, I found it to be fitting for what was happening and felt throughout the movie that I had no idea what would happen next. I was at a loss for who represented what influences and Eva Marie Saint remained an enigma for both her relation to the story and her representation of women in general. When the movie does finally begin to wrap up, Grant must make choices that make some pretty profound questions about morality that one could easily extend to issues today related to privacy and terrorism.

There is a reason why Hitchcock is considered one of the masters and why this is considered one of his masterpieces. I've seen a few of his movies -- this is maybe the fourth and I'll probably see more (feel free to leave suggestions in the comments) -- and I think I found it to be the most worthwhile viewing. And I don't just think it's all in the timing.

Grade: A