Street Kings

I felt like this one left a lot on the table. It had a big cast, Forrest Whitaker, Common, Hugh, Laurie, The Game, Keanu Reeves, The guy from Northern Exposure/Sex and the City, The Human Torch, Jay Mohr. Well, a bunch of people I recognize, anyway. There were some definite off notes, but there was lots of misdirection as well. I also liked the tone that it ended up with, though it had me worried on more than one occasion. I felt like with a little bit better acting (even Nicolas Cage instead of Reeves would have made a difference, much less somebody like Ethan Hawke or Ryan Gosling, not to mention the numerous losers in bit roles) and some better direction, maybe the addition of an overarching theme, this could have been Training Day or something close to it. Instead, it was more like Training Day 2 Electric Boogaloo. Not straight to video, but it might as well have been. But, it entertained me. Whitaker, Laurie and Common were very good and I like them. So there.

Vantage Point

This one was ok, but not great. I liked the idea of viewing the events from several differnt points of view. I also like the idea of the good guys choosing not to make retaliatory strikes against the evil guys. Those things appeal to me. I liked the cast. But, it was a bit overwrought at times. And there were moments of lameness. But, it wasn't terrible and I enjoyed myself.