DEAD MAN DOWN

Plot:


When New York crime lord Alphonse (Howard) keep receiving strange cut outs and members of his crew keep winding up dead, he puts his crew on alert to find the person that is responsible. But things become complicated for crew member Victor (Farrell) when his neighbor Beatrice (Rapace) witnesses him perform a crime and blackmails him to carry out a crime for her. All this in the midst of a possible war brewing between Alphonse and a group of Russian mobsters and while they get close to finding out whose trying to kill Alphonse.


Reel Talk:


This was a criminal suspense thriller that got turned into a love story, that maybe could have worked but didn't. Mainly too many unbelievable loops that make this movie hard to swallow. With the incorporation  of the love story, it kinda drags the movie along giving way to some lackluster action. There wasn't even much that Colin Farrell or Terrence Howard could do to salvage this film. This one you can wait to catch on DVD or even cable.

Starring: Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper and Isabelle Huppert
Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev
Rated: R

I give it 2 corn dogs

By: Corn Dog - The Reel Hustler

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Plot:


When Oscar aka OZ the Magician (Franco), a young self indulged womanizer gets caught up in one of his schemes and chased by  a jealous husband, he takes to a hot air balloon to escape.  While in flight he encounters a massive tornado that sucks his balloon into it's funnel whisking him to a foreign, strange but colorful village named OZ. Soon it is believed by the village people that he is their savior to protect them from one of three sister witches that is the evil one that wants to control Oz along with her army of savage flying gorillas. Oscar is now faced with the dilemma of helping the people of OZ and being a hero or continuing his selfish ways and bail on them, causing their demise.


Reel Talk:


We all know the story of The Wizard Of OZ, well this movie gives us the orgin of how the Wizard came to be over OZ. How Theodora (Kunis) went from a good witch to an wicked and evil witch. The 3D graphics are spectacular and the story is not bad either, it just kinda takes a little long to get to where it's going. Still the performances are good and the characters are colorful. So on those points alone, this movie is a decent movie worth checking out. All you gotta do is just sit back and let your imagination go!

Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs and Tony Cox
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Rated: PG

I give it 3 corn dogs

By: Corn Dog - The Reel Hustler

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PT 2 PROMO TOUR

SNITCH

Plot:


John Matthews (Johnson) is the owner of a successful construction and trucking company whose life will soon get turned upside down and inside out when his estranged son Jason (Gavron) from a previous marriage gets arrested for involvement in a drug smuggling ring. Although he continually professes his innocence, the top prosecutor plans to give him the maximum sentence of 30 years for drug trafficking unless he becomes a snitch and sets up some of his friends as drug dealers. His refusal to do it, moves his father John to relentlessly step forward to become the informant for the DEA, setting up deals in return for his son's freedom. Soon everything in John's world is jeopardized as he becomes involved deep in the drug dealing sanctum of the Mexican Cartel and one of their bosses El Topo (Bratt). But he's willing to risk everything to save his son from a long stint in prison.


Reel Talk:


The trailer for this movie is very misleading. I went in thinking the film to be one way but it was completely another. But that is not to say that the movie is bad. The movie based on true events, not an all out action film, places Dwayne Johnson in an average guy role oppose to his super bad ass roles he's known for, playing a man trying to make up for earlier mistakes he made as a father toward his son. This is a performance that he pulls off very well, even though I don't think I know many fathers that would stick their neck out, getting involved with the drug cartel to save their kid. This was a good movie that clearly shows the consequences that can come from making one bad decision or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Worth getting out and checking out!

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Michael Kenneth Williams, Rafi Gavron and Benjamin Bratt
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Rated: PG-13

I give it 3 and a half eaten corn dogs.

By: Corn Dog - The Reel Hustler

DREAMS THE MOVIE RED CARPET COVERAGE

DREAMS

Plot:


 Dreams takes us to the gritty streets of Joliet, IL and centers around four primary characters, Quentin (Lee) the talented dancer, Mia (Mercado) the gifted singer, Paalo (Awinongya) the gym/ club owner and Alonzo (Watson) the former street thug, each having dreams of overcoming their troubled past so that the future brings hope of better life situations for them all. Each one also realizes that it takes more than to dream but that it requires action and that there are some pain and consequences that comes along with some of the choices made.


Reel Talk:


This film is the collective effort from 1st time movie producer Marvin Winans Jr. who also stars in the movie and director Joel Kapity who also directed Blessed And Cursed, his 1st film project. The two have put together a solid movie with a good story and an excellent cast of actors and actresses. You are taken on a roller coaster of emotions as you experience the various pains of each character's daily struggles to try to and fulfill their dreams. You are taken back into their past to get a taste of the root of the turmoil that haunts them. Then you are brought to the climatic ending that will offer a few surprise twists. A very good movie that I was very impressed with that an upstart film team were able to put together. After attending the premier screening red carpet event the other night you could truly feel the genuine love that the crew and cast felt for each other. Everyone seem to really enjoy just being a part of this movie and put all their egos aside for an enjoyable evening.

Dreams is showing starting Feburary 1, 2013 at the AMC Star Southfield Theater for a limited engagement, so please check the theater for show times and please go out and see this movie! Be sure to catch the red carpet coverage and interviews that will be posted soon.

Starring: Tommy Ford, Terri J. Vaughn, Mel Jackson, Jazsmin Lewis, Angie Stone, Marcello Lee, Syesha Mercado, Joseph Awinongya, Jason J'Son Watson, Geoffrey Owens, Marvin Winans Jr. and Vickie Winans
Directed by: Joel Kapity

I give it 3 and a half eaten corn dogs

By: Corn Dog - The Reel Hustler

BULLET TO THE HEAD

Plot:


Upon completing an assignment, career hit man James Bonomo (Stallone) and his partner are double crossed at their meeting point leaving his partner dead and Bonomo without getting paid. Intent on finding out who set him up Bonomo must reluctantly team up with an out of town detective,  Taylor Kwon (Kang)  who has ties to the case. Together the two find out that the corruption runs deep into the police department as well as corporate organization, all while they avoid being the target of the newly hired methodical killer Keegan (Momoa) whose mission is to terminate the cop and crook pair.


Reel Talk:


This is your typical Sly Stallone movie, doing what he does best, flexing his outrageously muscle massed body, delivering his cheesy one liners and dishing out non stop over the top action. You have to understand that you are not going there to see Stallone act but rather for the entertainment that his films offer, nothing more nothing less. In saying that, this is just another film that can pacify an action junkie's fix. Nothing new but really like a combination of a few of his older movies combined into this one. Again it is still entertainingly Stallone doing his thing on the screen if you just in need of a decent action movie.

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater and Jon Seda
Directed by: Walter Hill
Rated: R

I give it 2 corn dogs.

By: Corn Dog - The Reel Hustler