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DVD Files: “Righteous Kill” Is A “Righteous” Thrill

By Kris McKusick | January 12, 2009

I wrote an article back in September of last year, previewing the movie Righteous Kill and saying I’d for certain see it on the big screen. Well, I lied. I never got around to seeing Righteous Kill in the theaters and apparently I’m not the only one; the movie did poorly at the box office and there was very little positive buzz from critics.

So now I’m here four months later to give it the positive buzz it deserves. Righteous Kill stars Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino as two cops tracking a serial killer. The killer has tallied fourteen victims by the time the police department’s investigation leads to a killer within the department.

DeNiro gives a winning performance as Turk, a 30 year veteran of the police force under suspicion for the murders. Al Pacino is credible as his sidekick but his performance is kind of disaffected; we, naturally, expect more from Pacino in this role given the fact that some of his best career performances are as cops.

Rapper turned actor, 50 Cent, is typically awful in the role of the drug kingpin, Spider, a role he was born to play. Maybe I’m being a little harsh on 50. I thought he did an outstanding job in his first feature role, the autobiographical Get Rich or Die Tryin.’ But now, whenever I see 50 (Curtis Jackson) on screen I’m amazed by how much he lacks in charisma and conviction. When he’s given a scene with one of the heavyweights, he simply looks like he doesn‘t belong.

John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg give stellar performances as fellow cops. Leguizamo is typically brilliant as the cop trying to implicate DeNiro’s character, Turk.

Overall, the script these great actors are given to work with is kind of weak. It doesn’t really provide enough spark to let the two screen legends flex their muscle. So you just have to accept Righteous Kill for what it is: a low brow thriller, a perfect rental, and a must-see for any Pacino or DeNiro fan who couldn’t get enough of Heat.

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Positively New Years Resolutions: Celebrity Edition

By Hilary Dickinson | January 7, 2009

It’s now officially 2009, and you know what that means: New Year’s resolutions. But, we aren’t the only ones who make resolutions – celebrities do too. Most probably want to lose weight or quit smoking like most people do; but, here’s Positively Celebrity’s ideas for how celebrities can improve their lives and careers in 2009.

Expectant moms like Jennifer Garner and “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Chyler Leigh:

Name babies normal names instead of the crazy baby names of 2008 like Ashlee Simpson’s son, Bronx Mowgli, and Gwen Stefani’s son, Zuma Nesta Rock.

Screen Actors Guild members and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers:

Come to a resolution regarding DVD residuals and online video so there will not be another strike like the 100-day writer’s strike in late 2007 and early 2008 that halted production of scripted shows and brought an onslaught of tacky reality shows.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan:

Follow Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s lead in “Revolutionary Road” by reuniting one of America’s favorite on-screen couples.

Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron:

Take advantage of your fortunate successes of starring in 2008’s “Twilight” and “High School Musical 3” by not screwing up like many other young newly minted movie stars. Ahem Shia LaBeouf and Lindsay Lohan.

The “Friends” cast:

Reunite for a successful big-screen adaptation of their show like the women of “Sex and the City” did in 2008.

Shows like “Heroes” and “Grey’s Anatomy”:

Cut the convoluted and crazy storylines and remind us why we initially loved them.

Mike Myers, Al Pacino, Meg Ryan, Amy Winehouse, and Janet Jackson:

Plan a comeback for 2009. The kind of comebacks that Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Tom Cruise, and Britney Spears all enjoyed in 2008.

Long time couples like Fergie and Josh Duhamel, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, Amy Adams and Darren Legallo, and Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ross McCall:

Get married in 2009 and upstage the 2008 nuptials of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, and Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds.

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The Corleone’s Hit Blu-ray

By Kris McKusick | September 25, 2008

For those who believe The Godfather Trilogy is the holy trinity of Gangster movies (it’s really much more than that; if such a thing is possible), the news that The Godfather series is coming out in blu-ray high def is some very welcome information. It hits stores on September 25 in a special Coppola restoration giftset.

The original Godfather is really the greatest movie of all-time, featuring a young, charismatic Al Pacino and a hauntingly charming Marlon Brando as the formidable Don Vito Corleone. Brando’s performance ranks among the best in the history of cinema. The Godfather would also serve as a blueprint for every gangster movie to come out for the next four decades. It may never be surpassed artistically but its sequel comes very close. The Godfather Part II is much more than a crime story; it’s an epic statement on love, loss, betrayal, and tragedy.

Michael Corleone (Pacino’s character) has since supplanted his father as the new head of the Family in Part II and the film chronicles his incendiary rise to power. Michael intends to rule with an iron hand, one that is unflinching and divisive, hence legitimizing the Corleone‘s as the most revered (and feared) Mob family. The movie channels the past, present, and future of the Family seamlessly - unlike anything rivaled in film. Part III puts the finishing touches on this epic trilogy, featuring Michael Corleone in his later years. 

The great thing about Blu-ray is that a whole generation of younger viewers will now see the films for the first time. Thus, becoming enthralled with the Corleone Family saga for years to come. In its most essential form.

 

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Righteous Kill Puts The “I” In Intrigue

By Kris McKusick | September 4, 2008


Righteous Kill finds legendary actors, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, on the same side of the fence playing two New York City Detectives tracking a serial killer. This is quite a contrast since we last saw these two legends on screen in Michael Mann’s epic thriller, Heat.

Heat (one of the best movies of the nineties), was a classic cat and mouse thriller, Pacino playing good guy, DeNiro a lifelong criminal on the brink of a massive heist. The two legends go head to head in a masterful face off between good cop just doing his job and a criminal steadfast in his forbidden ways.

Thirteen years later we get to see this dynamic duo on the same side, an intriguing development if there ever was one. The script offers the scenario of two cops tracking a killer, who has struck again after several years causing cops to question whether they put the wrong suspect behind bars. The film also stars rapper 50 cent (Curtis Jackson), John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg.

Righteous Kill serves up the capital I in intrigue and the mere mention of all these actors sharing the screen together is enough to put my rear in the seat. Who’s with me? We’ll surely find out when this film opens September 12.

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Fall Movie Preview: A-List Stars, Secret Agents, A Bad Dog and the Reunion of Leo & Kate

By Hilary Dickinson | August 31, 2008

Burn After Reading: Fresh off their Best Picture-winning No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers bring us this comedy with an all-star cast. Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand play foolish gym employees who try to extort a CIA agent (John Malkovich) after finding his top secret CD-ROM. Best Supporting Actress Tilda Swinton and George Clooney also star. Sept. 12

Righteous Kill: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino team up for the first time since 1995’s Heat to play NYC detectives searching for a serial killer. De Niro and Pacino are reason alone enough to go. Sept. 12

Eagle Eye: Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are being tracked by a stranger on their cell phones in a story conceived by Steven Spielberg that is pertinent in today’s technological times when everyone’s always within reach of a Blackberry or iPhone. Sept. 26

Rachel Getting Married: Anne Hathaway takes a departure from her chipper roles as a recovering drug addict and black sheep who’s attending her sister’s wedding. Oct. 3

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist: Michael Cera of Superbad and Juno and Kat Dennings of The 40 Year-Old Virgin play high schoolers who fall in love en route to a secret late-night concert in a realistic teen comedy. Oct. 3

Changeling: Clint Eastwood’s 1920s story of a woman (Angelina Jolie) whose young son disappears is already creating Oscar buzz for Jolie. Oct. 24

Quantum of Solace: The highly-anticipated “Bond” film picks up an hour after Casino Royale left off. Nov. 7

The Soloist: In this potential Oscar fare, Jamie Foxx plays a musical prodigy who ends up homeless and mentally ill on the streets of L.A. and is paired with Robert Downey Jr. as a journalist. Nov. 21

Milk: Sean Penn stars in this biopic of Harvey Milk who was the first gay man elected to political office. Directed by Gus Van Sant and also starring Emile Hirsch and James Franco. Nov. 26

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Brad Pitt ages backwards from age 80 to eight in this fantasy based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story. Also starring Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. Dec. 25

Marley & Me: Dog lovers rejoice! Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in the film adaptation of the beloved book about the “world’s worst dog.” Dec. 25

Revolutionary Road: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite for the first time since Titanic – only this time they’re not a love-struck couple. This is a story about what happens to a suburban-living married couple after they fall out of love. Dec. 26

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