Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Movie: Man of Tai Chi

Keanu Reeves directs, both in reality and story, the fall and redemption of the heir to a Tai Chi school. This martial art is noted as being very "soft" and meditative, and rumored as very powerful when grudgingly applied in earnest. A wealthy death match coordinator discovers and grooms him, unto facing his own consequences. Stylish and with a notable soundtrack, this comes together much better than most tales of the genre. 

Monday, February 3, 2014

Movie: The Numbers Station

A competent, compact drama/thriller. Her job is to inform black ops agents of their missions - just transforming and relaying encrypted messages. His job is to protect her, until he's told the opposite. Everyone - that being a very small number of authoritative & violent anonymous persons - seem too bent on her demise. 

Engaging and taut, a little retrospection questions why those unbreakable codes are cracked so fast, and the sequencing is rather cliched. The happy ending doesn't want to be. 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Movie: Safe

Jason Statham makes one kind of movie. This time around, the down & out yet supremely capable hero finds life's purpose in protecting a girl whom many disreputable characters seem very intent on acquiring. The McGuffin is her uncanny ability to memorize, and what she has done so with. As always,  his unvarying purpose is to protect the McGuffin through extraordinary skilled violence and an uncanny ability to connect arcane knowledge of the criminal underworld to bring down the powerful who seek it. As always, the result is an entertaining and not entirely shallow slugfest.