The promotions for the new "thriller" FLIGHT RISK go out of their way not to mention Director Mel Gibson by name. They note the director's previous works like "Braveheart" and "Apocalypto", two very different, visionary epics. So what the hell is this unsavory, pathetic mess? Badly cast, poorly edited and executed at the level of an old Direct-to-Video B movie, this is embarrassing for all involved. Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3, Heretic) is all over the place as Winston, an accountant for the mob captured in a remote part of Alaska by FBI agent Madolyn (Michelle Dockery) in the opening scene. The dialogue is dumb, dumb, dumb. It's a grade school take on clever one liners that fall flat at ever turn. Even in that opening scene, you can feel desperation sinking in, with Gibson seemingly filling every quiet moment with exploding microwaves and giant wildlife at the window. Maybe he looked at the final script and seeing how thin it was, just decided to make the whole film so loud and busy, you might not notice. I noticed. That script, by newcomer Jared Rosenberg is one of the worst I've seen in many years. Was he going for the crude tone that oozes from its celluloid pores throughout? It feels like he has a man crush on 90's writer Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Action Hero) and channeled Black's tone into his keyboard through a filter that removed all humor, sense of timing and enjoyment out of his creation. And then there is Mark Wahlberg. Oh, Mark. You can be a fun, entertaining actor. "The Departed"and "Patriot's Day" showed dramatic chops. 'Ted"is comic brilliance. So WTF is this? Playing "Daryl" a sadistic killer who impersonates the real pilot so he can take down Winston before he can testify, Wahlberg sports a bad bald cap and an ever worse southern accent. He spends much of the film telling Winston how he's going to rape him before he chops him up. Charming. I have so many questions. Other than to create a very stupid plot for a bad film, why would the mob secure a vicious serial killer for free to take out the witness? Wouldn't a standard hitman in the trees at that Mayberry like Alaska airport have been a lot easier? What are the odds that Wahlberg's wannabe Jeffrey Dahmer would have his pilot's license? How many times can you stun gun, smash someone over the head with a fire extinguisher, stab and shoot them before they are finally dead? Is the a Jason Voorhees movie or a suspense flick? If you're going to set 90% of a film inside a small confined space, shouldn't at least one of the characters have some redeeming qualities or some speck of likability? This thing makes Karen Black landing the 747 in "Airport 1975" seem plausible. The last half of the film finds an increasingly paranoid Madolyn thinking everyone at the FBI is against her. As a subplot in any season of the fondly remembered Fox series "24", this could have been intriguing. But Rosenberg has no time for real storytelling, he's too busy getting to the next absurd verbal showdown or stabbing inside the plane. After a while, it's all just too damn dumb to care about. The film does have ONE redeeming quality that saves it from my lowest grade, Maaz Ali as the air traffic controller talking Madolyn down. He's funny, charming and definitely the dude you want at the other end of the mike in that scenario. I'm not sure an 87 minute long film has ever felt this long. Mel Gibson, you are a gifted Director, I'd argue that you're one of our very best. Why in the world are you slumming with this crap? You deserve better, and for the love of Apocalypto, SO DO WE! Gibson is already in pre-production on "Resurrection", his sure to be blockbuster sequel to "The Passion of the Christ". It feels like he's already started confessing for the sinful waste of talent and our time in FLIGHT RISK . I'm betting word-of-mouth this weekend will sink this plane faster than a bird strike. It gets a D-, only saved from an F by the talents of Maaz Ali as Hasan.

Has Robert Eggers been edging toward creating a mainstream hit for years, or have our tastes moved closer to his intense, operatic visual style? Either way, his new horror film NOSFERATU delivers beauty and horror in bloody buckets. Bathed in washed out grays, blues and blacks, a mid 1800's Germany wraps around us in all its elegance and filth. The film is Eggers biggest hit, already grossing more than its $50 million budget in its first week in theaters. The story, for any fans of previous Nosferatu or Dracula films during its hundred year plus legacy, is very familiar. Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is sent on a long journey to meet the mysterious Count Orlok, who wants to acquire a well trodden castle. Hutter leaves behind his new bride Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny) who is suffering vivid nightly dreams of a mysterious figure calling to her from far away..... The dreams get worse and Ellen grows ill, falling into the care of her wealthy best friend Anna (Emma Corrin) and her husband Friedrich (the excellent Aaron Taylor-Johnson, can we just make him the new OO7 please!). After his long carriage trip, Thomas arrives to the fantastically scary Count's current castle and finds a huddled, shaded figure with impossibly long hands, fingernails and a deep, echoing voice that sounds like death. The count is played by Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise in "It") under so much make up and costuming that in renders him unrecognizable. It's a hell of a performance, I just can't believe that's Skarsgard buried somewhere in there. He worked with an Opera coach to lower his speaking voice an octive. The effect is mesmerizing and scary as hell. His Count only breathes in to speak. You can almost feel that breath coming at you as that low, grumbling voice emerges. You know the rest. The Count wants Anna and will do anything to possess her, Thomas falls sicker and sicker under the Count's power. Ellen falls deeper into possession and Professor Von Franz, this tale's Dr. Van Helsing, arrives in a cloud of Willem Dafoe eccentricities to provide the remedies no one wants to face. But Eggers isn't interested in a simple retelling of the oft told bloodsucker legend. He creates huge scale horror and splashes blood and guts across the screen in shots so beautiful you can't look away. The Count's shipboard voyage from his homeland is a nearly black and white classic of midnight blood sucking. By the way, this Count doesn't really drink from your neck. His preferred method is a horrifying, more direct route that slurps and gurgles around you in Dolby Atmos as hearts pump their last beats. Eggers gives you the feel of a classic film from decades ago, newly discovered. The photography and outdoor sets are impressive. When Orlok's ship crashes into the dock and thousands of rats come pouring off and spread through the streets, it's a powerful metaphor for plague and the Count to follow. Ralph Ineson (The Creator) stands out in the cast as Doctor Sievers, a traditional physician facing the supernatural at every turn. Hoult and Depp are both excellent, bringing new life to familiar characters. The music score by Robin Carolan, who also scored Eggers' "The Northman" echoes moments of Wokciech Kilar's legendary music for Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but soars off on its own after offering a bloody, momentary nod. There were multiple moments in the film in which I felt Eggers was indeed nodding in the direction of Coppola's film. The playful visuals as the Count's shadow seems to have a mind of its own resonated. I loved Coppola's film, but it's a wholly different enterprise than Eggers film, which I really enjoyed as well. Writer/ Director Eggers has created another powerful, adult film with violence, nudity and visual style to spare. Scenes haunt long after the lights come up. As always, I can't wait to see what Eggers does next. His fascinating Christmas gift NOSFERATU gets an A.

Looking for a WW2 adventure in the spirit of "Where Eagles Dare" or "The Guns of Navarone"? You could do worse than 1965's OPERATION CROSSBOW . This one was never on my radar, but a recent TCM showing grabbed my attention with its all-star cast led by Sophia Loren, George Peppard, Trevor Howard and the excellent Tom Courtenay. In the closing days of WW2, The Nazis are preparing two weapons that would have won them the war had they been developed sooner. One is the V1 or "doodlebug" a clumsy looking plane/bomb hybrid. The other is the mighty V2 rocket, the largest version of which in our film, (fictitiously) carries a massive payload with New York City's name on it. The first half is a bit sleepy, alternating between stuffy Brits like General Boyd (Mills, from "Ryan's Daughter" and "Swiss Family Robinson") and Professor Lindemann (Howard, from "Von Ryan's Express"and "The Battle of Britain") laying out their plan to insert spies into the Nazi rocket program. Meanwhile, we watch the German program slowly work through failed test after test. It's only in the second half that things kick into fine form. Peppard (The Carpetbaggers, The Blue Max) is US Air Force Lt. John Curtis, whose language skills and resemblance to a Dutch rocket engineer land him as a spy pulled into the Nazi ranks. Courtenay (Doctor Zhivago) is the best thing in the film as Henshaw, side by side with Peppard until his cover is blown. He's flawless. Director Michael Anderson (Logan's Run, Around the World in 80 Days) makes the film move once it gets past a rather boring subplot with Sophia Loren wondering in from another film. She plays Nora Van Ostamgen (try saying that three times quickly), the ex-wife of the engineer that Curtis is pretending to be. Loren is stunning, but her top billing in what is basically an extended cameo is due only to the fact that she was sleeping with the producer, her husband, Carlo Ponti. Smart move on his part, she was a huge box office draw at the time, although this film was a major box office disappointment in the US. However, it was one of 1965's biggest box office hits in the UK. Jeremy Kemp (The Blue Max, Top Secret!) is very good as Captain Bradley, the other spy placed with Curtis into the program. The finale takes place in a deep, underground cave the Nazis have turned into a rocket launching complex. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that OO7 production designer Ken Adam saw this film and stole from it two years later when he designed the biggest Bond set ever, Blofeld's rocket launching volcano in "You Only Live Twice". The finale is exciting, suspenseful and action packed. During the first V-2 rocket attack, a building block is seen exploding without any warning sound of the rocket approaching. I thought this was a mistake in the sound mix. Actually, the V-2 rockets traveled at over twice the speed of sound, which means that the rocket actually arrived on the target before its sound did!! Terrifying. Watching the London blitz has always been jaw dropping as a point in history when Churchill led one the greatest human resistances against relentless attacks. The film captures that well. Not on the same emotional level as films like "Blitz" or "The Darkest Hour", but effectively. I'll give it a B- thanks to a great cast, some unexpected twists (and character deaths!) and its pure popcorn 1960's special effects. Check out this original trailer. The narrator is CLASSIC and so 60's!

I've always wanted to dive deeper into the Western genre and I've admittedly been in remiss in seeing the classics. The definition of a sixties western, 1965's THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER is a rip roaring, action-packed classic and a massive box office hit. Four years before "True Grit", producer Hal Wallis, Director Henry Hathaway and John Wayne teamed up to create this deft blend of traditional cowboys, family loyalties and some good old fashioned, land grabbing bad buys. As the film opens, ranch owner Katie Elder has passed away and her four sons return to Clearwater, Texas to honor their mother. The legendary John Wayne is oldest son John, a notorious gunfighter. Dean Martin (Airport, The Silencers) is Tom, a hard drinking, card playing cowboy. Earl Holliman (Giant, Forbidden Planet) is Matt, the softest spoken brother and Michael Anderson Jr (Logan's Run) is Bud, the youngest son just back from a first year at college. They're impressed with the respect and admiration that all the townsfolk have for their Mother, but curious why the large ranch they left behind is no longer theirs. Further mystery surrounds their Father, who was recently shot in the back after a card game that no one wants to talk about. Hathaway and Wallis are pros. The film never lags and the cast serves up plenty of laughs, more than a few brawls and plenty of suspenseful gunfights. George Kennedy (Airport) is excellent as Curley, a hired gunfighter brought in by the town gunsmith Morgan Hastings (60's stalwart James Gregory) to keep an eye on those Elder boys. A very young Dennis Hopper is great as Hastings son Dave, whose moral compass is a bit better than his ruthless Father's. It's a blast to see Hopper here and compare the role to his vicious portrayal of "Moon" in "True Grit" for Wallis in 1969. The years in between show a lot of change in Hopper the actor. Paul Fix is also excellent as Sheriff Billy Wilson, caught between his respect for the Elders and the power of Hastings and his entourage. Fix (El Dorado, To Kill a Mockingbird, Giant) is perfectly cast and is a pleasure to watch in the role. Elmer Bernstein's music score is excellent, equaling his themes for "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape". Flawless. John Wayne rides high, serving up a 100% Wayne performance that he made look easy. He was battling lung cancer just before the shoot began and Hathaway delayed the project long enough for him to recover. It's easy to overlook how good he is here. His Oscar was still four years away. The ambush by the river is excellent and the finale is even better, guns a-blazing as Bernstein's music soars. A great western tale, perfectly told, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER shoots a bullseye, earning an appreciative B+. (Disney fans with a good eye might recognize that the hearse featured at the funeral of Katie Elder currently resides in front of the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World!)

Ridley Scott delivers historical spectacle on a thrilling, grand scale in GLADIATOR II , but its an incredible cast led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal that elevate the sequel, 24 years after the original film. Scott has always been at the cutting edge of special effects and historic epics that have spanned the centuries. A near perfect blending of the two, the film opens with a massive naval attack on the last unconquered country in Africa. We barely have time to meet Lucius (Mescal) and his wife Arishat (the captivating Yuval Gonen) before the battle horns sound and the huge Roman ships approach, led by General Acacius (Pascal). Acacius is a brave leader, seemingly taking parts of the invasion into his own hands when the advance stalls. The city falls and Lucius is enslaved and brought to Rome, where his initial appearances on smaller gladiator stages garner the rapt attention of Macrinus, a savvy political climber with an eye for hand-to-hand combat. In a performance that's sure to be Oscar nominated, Denzel Washington drops into Rome and steals the movie as a power broker with an astute eye for opportunity. Screenwriter David Scarpa (Napoleon, The Last Castle) delivers plenty of terrific dialogue and Washington enriches every line reading with a dangerous, outrageously fun eye for his own future. Meanwhile, Acacius is navigating his own dangerous path through Rome, gloriously rendered by Scott and his design and effects team. He is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) former wife of the legendary Maximus (Russell Crowe in the original film). This puts him at odds with the mad, young twin Emperors of Rome, Geta and Caracalla. Geta is mad with power and Caracalla is just plain mad, preening and killing his way through the throne room with his pet monkey on his shoulder. As global leaders, they have no strategy save global dominance, leaving their great General Acacius torn between allegiance to Rome and an understanding of fragility of their inept leadership. Macrinus brings Lucius to bigger and bigger stages and as the Gladiator's fame grows, a select few begin to realize his lineage. Scott stages all this intrigue like an enormous 60's biblical epic, with jaw dropping scenes that defy logic but overwhelm the senses. The Roman Colosseum is filled with water so the mad twins can reenact legendary navel battles. The water is stocked with lumbering great white sharks that are very, very hungry. While its illogical, it's thrilling as hell. Lucius commands the gladiators around him as massive ships collide, arrows fly through the air and fireballs soar, bodies dropping into the gaping mouths of the sharks below. Everything is captured in a perfect Dolby Atmos sound mix that puts you into the Colosseum. 24 years ago when the original film hit theaters, I think we were all stunned to see tigers leaping from secret traps in the arena floor. Two decades later, bad guys ride enormous beasts and the stadium is a giant water show, perhaps we're harder to entertain in 2024. Having personally just visited the actual Colosseum and Rome last year, seeing it in its glory days was a special gift from Scott. Beyond the grand visuals, the tale is driven by powerful stories of ambition and destiny. Mescal, Washington, Nielsen and Pascal all rise to the occasion. It's a thrill to see the always great Derek Jacobi (Dead Again, The Day of the Jackal) return as Senate leader Gracchus, still conniving after all these years. Matt Lucas is hilarious as the Master of Ceremonies and Alexander Karim (Zero Dark Thirty) shines as Ravi, a former Gladiator turned physician dispensing wisdom along with balms. Beautifully crafted, violent, exciting and thrilling on every level, GLADIATOR II is more than a worthy sequel, for me, it equals Scott's original vision in every way. Just like that film did 24 years ago, it gets an A. Are you not entertained? Indeed, Sir Ridley, I am!

As a huge fan of the original 1973 film, I was fascinated with the current ten episode series THE DAY OF THE JACKAL on Peacock. It's clear that creator Ronan Bennett has reverence for the Fred Zinnemann's brilliant original, as he's loaded the episodes with enjoyable references big and small. Edward Fox was The Jackal in the 1973 version, the epitome of English class and efficiency as a contract killer that left no loose ends, no matter how personal. Nearly 50 years later, we have the superbly cast Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables, The Theory of Everything) as The Jackal. As you can imagine, ten hours leaves a lot of breathing room for fleshing out the man behind the gun. Redmayne gives our killer many faces, both literally as a master of disguise, and in his personal life. The Jackal now has a wife and a young son, putting an entirely new spin on things. In addition, in 2024, he's more apt to leave you alive if you aren't part of the mission, a notion that never would have entered Fox's head. Lashana Lynch (No Time To Die, Bob Marley: One Love) is excellent as Bianca, the young MI-6 British Intelligence officer hot on the trail of the hit man. As the series opens, Bianca feels like a desk agent, but as she aggressively and successfully inserts herself in the case, she proves very resourceful brandishing fists and guns. Lynch was very good in her OO7 and Marvel appearances, but she creates a full blooded character here. Bennett and his creative team do an amazing job juggling the personal lives of our two protagonists, deftly balancing their challenging home drama and the globe hopping chase between them. The Jackal's kills are high profile men, but none higher than his latest target, Ulla Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla), a wealthy visionary and inventor whose new software release is about to redistribute wealth on a massive scale. With world financial markets in jeopardy, the lines between the good guys and the bad guys get very murky. The reliably excellent Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Alien 3) steals every scene he's in as a Manhattan financial power broker pulling the strings on just about every angle. Lia Williams (Living) is excellent as Isabel, the senior MI-6 contact overseeing the mission as well as Bianca's direct boss, Osita (Chukwudi Iwuji). WIlliams and Iwuji create two very complicated MI-6 bosses that left me guessing right up to the final scene. Ursula Corbero is an enigma as The Jackal's wife, whose passion and curiosity about her husband grows more dangerous with each episode. She's terrific in the role and left me dazed and confused. The only thing more fluid than her loyalties are her plans. Fascinating new character. The ten episodes span numerous targets and countless countries. The global photography led by Christopher Ross (Shogun, 2024) is stunning, capturing the nuances of each location. From rich countryside estates with pools hanging off of cliffs to castles and narrow back alleys, everything looks fantastic. Let's get back to those easter eggs. I could run the scenes of The Jackal testing out his new custom rifle on a watermelon from the 1973 and 2024 versions side by side and they'll be close to mirror images. Costumes worn by Redmayne and Fox are identical. The white Alfa Romeo looks very familiar. For fans of the source material, it's a blast seeing similarities unfold. We couldn't stop watching the series, binging all ten episodes in less than a day. Once it starts, it's like the original book by Frederick Forsyth that it's based on, impossible to walk away from. As you can imagine, this long format leaves the original story far behind. While some moments are close matches, some major events are dramatically different. The tension of the final target and the aftermath keep you on the edge of your seat until the last moments. I've seen some online chatter that Lynch was miscast. I don't get it. She's great in the part, carrying the weight of her personal life on her shoulders as she faces off against the world's greatest assassin. She's believable in every scene. Redmayne is terrific. He's as adept with masks as Ethan Hunt and his team in the Mission Impossible films, but the most amazing mask is the one he wears in his everyday appearance.There's a lot brewing beneath that staid English exterior. When it explodes, you feel it. DAY OF THE JACKAL gets an A-. PS: Avoid the horrible 1997 remake, "The Jackal" with Richard Gere and Bruce Willis and leave it in the trash where it belongs. It's such a travesty, it even manages to waste Sidney Poitier in a key role. Blech. 1973 and 2024 both delivered vintage Jackals.

The new documentary SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY is long on heart but falls short as a retrospective of Reeve's career. If you're looking for a beautiful story of one man's ability to inspire through tragedy, Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui's film truly capture that angle. We see Reeve's competitive drive, his idyllic family life and the success that his acting career earns him. As the competitive riding accident happens, the impact on his life and those around him is depicted honestly and powerfully. As he grows aware of the true extent of his injuries, the power of Chris's relationship with his wife Dana Reeve is truly inspirational. Where the documentary feels unfinished is as any kind of reflection on Reeve's career once he hits the big screen. We do see his early college theater work and plenty of details about his casting as The Man of Steel. I loved seeing all the behind the scenes history of the filming of Superman. Reeve comes off as genuine, charming and kind every step of the way. While it's touched on, there is certainly a lot more to tell about his biggest role as the films around him degenerated from the brilliant original "Superman" in 1978 to the absolute schlock crapfest that was "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace", less than a decade later. We get clips, but the fan film in me wants more back stories on how producers wasted all audience goodwill so quickly. Also, I would have loved to have seen more about Reeve's other film roles in "Monsignor" and "Deathtrap" or more details and clips from his TV remake of "Rear Window". The film chooses to focus solely on Reeve's life post accident, his recovery, his constant refusal to accept what's "possible" and redefine what that means. There were many moments that punch you in the gut and truly define Reeve as a real life superhero. What also struck me is the way he treats people throughout his life. Stardom never changed him, but his interactions with people post accident go to the next level as an example of humanity at its best. As an activist for spinal cord injury treatments and disability rights, Reeve sets a standard that will be hard to match. There are plenty of stars like Glenn Close and Susan Sarandon that share stories. His friendship with Robin Williams for decades is moving. I loved Jeff Daniels perspective as a fellow college student with Chris. He provides unvarnished insight into their friendship and Reeve's earliest acting roles. Chris & Dana's children, Will, Alexandra, Matthew are all terrific as well. Proving it's possible to be a superhero on and off the big screen, Christopher Reeve's story leaves you wanting to do better . For that alone, it's worth watching. I just feel like it could have soared had it offered a deeper dive into the full film legacy of Reeve. When you combine the full details of Dana's life in combination with her husband's, it almost leaves you winded with the challenges they faced. For the inspiration they provide alone, the film earns a solid B.

In 2007, I was fortunate to see Frank Langella and Michael Sheen in FROST/NIXON on Broadway. It was a riveting night of theater on every level, with two superb actors at the peak of their game. The following year, writer Peter Morgan (The Queen) adapted his stage play for the screen and Ron Howard (The DaVinci Code, Far and Away) took the reins as Director. They've all done a superb job of recreating the stage experience, but expanding the canvas and spinning the pace of the story up into a political thriller. Watergate has ravaged the Nixon presidency and he's left the White House, hunkering down in his San Clemente home with a lot of resentment. Frank Langella (Dracula, The Trial of the Chicago Seven) embodies Nixon's persona, his stature, his slightly stooped and often perturbed attitude. He finds himself wanting to tell his version of events in Washington DC with his legacy at stake. Langella won a Tony for his portrayal of the President on stage and was nominated here for a Best Actor Oscar. Meanwhile, David Frost is living a playboy life in London, pitching softball celebrity interviews and jetting around Europe with beautiful women on his arm. But he's longing for a chance to prove that he's more than just a puff piece platform. Michael Sheen (The Queen, Prodigal Son, Tron:Legacy) is excellent as Frost. He's a man having a hell of a good time, but harboring a deep desire to be taken seriously. In 1977, three years after Nixon boarded that helicopter and offered one last peace sign from its step, Frost proposes a series of five prime time interviews with Nixon. With a $600,000 fee, Nixon thinks that he's grabbed the perfect platform against a soft opponent. He'll be able to shape the reflection of history as desired, knowing that Frost is used to lightweight movie stars and pop culture icons. Even Frost's team doubts that their man is up for the task. At every turn, Frost seems to shy away from the next logical, tough and probing question. Can Frost surprise everyone? It's a suspenseful, intelligent road across the five nightly interviews, with Sheen/Langella, Frost/Nixon punching each other with dialogue and "gotcha" moments. Howard does a superb job telling the story and Hans Zimmer's music score is a hell of an assist around every turn. The supporting cast is excellent. Sam Rockwell as James Reston, Kevin Bacon as Jack Brenna, Oliver Platt as Bob Zelnick, Toby Jones as Swifty Lazar, and Matthew McFayden as John Birt are all legendary. I remember when the actual interviews aired on TV in 1977. I was a teen, but the world was glued to it. 45 million people tuned for night one, still a record for a political interview five decades later. Superbly crafted, FROST/NIXON is a history lesson that plays like a thriller and a fantastic stage to screen adaption that gets an A. "That's our tragedy, you and I Mr. Frost. No matter how high we get, they still look down at us."

I remember seeing the 2010 remake of CLASH OF THE TITANS in the theaters when it was released. My only memory of it then was questioning, "why bother?". 15 years later, the same question looms. Maybe I just have too soft of a spot for the 1981 original. With its choppy Ray Harryhausen effects, Laurence Olivier as Zeus and a wacky robot owl, it remains a true guilty pleasure. This time around, the $125 million budget is splashed all over the screen with then state-of-the-art CGI and plenty of stars. Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator Salvation) is a worthy Perseus, the bastard son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who has a particular set of skills...oh wait, that's another....... Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), Alexa Davalos (FBI: Most Wanted) and Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) are all fine, but Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) steals the entire film as Hades, serving up a baddie that would go toe-tot-toe with Lord V. If you loved the 80's original film like I did, you'll likely find yourself spending most of the running time waiting for the updated versions of the most famous sequences. The Kraken rising out of the sea looks a hell of a lot more like Godzilla and better than the original, and Perseus and team's battle against Medusa looks a thousand times more realistic than Harry Hamlin prancing around avoiding a stop motion medusa puppet. The swooping camera and that coiling tail look great. But is this CGI version better? It's stunning, but somehow it seems to lose much of its charm when it looks this real. The feel of "The Golden Age of Sinbad" or any other 70's swashbuckler gets lost in the relentless visual onslaught, noise and Raman Djawadi's uninspired score that could be from any of his episodes of "Game of Thrones". Compare any scene's music to the 1981 film's music by Laurence Rosenthal and it pales, badly. Director Lois Leterrier has churned out plenty of routine, genre efforts like "Fast X" but he has shown terrific style in films like "Transporter 2" and "Now You See Me". This one falls in the former category. It can be fun. The scene battling the giant scorpions is an exciting sequence, well staged. Any time Neeson and Fiennes are on the screen together, it's terrific. If the film was half as good as this amazing original trailer below, I would have left the 1981 original far behind. Alas, this CLASH only occasionally thrills, sputtering to a C.

The best Christmas set action flick since "Die Hard ", CARRY ON is a suspenseful thriller that demands you check logic at the gate and buckle up for thrills. Taron Egerton (Rocketman, Kingsman: The Secret Service) is perfectly cast as Ethan Kopek, a TSA agent who shows up for work everyday without a lot of thought for his career choice. As the film opens, his girlfriend Nora is enjoying her recent promotion to head of LAX operations for Northwind Airlines. Nora (Sofia Carson) also has just shared by the Christmas tree that she's expecting, causing Ethan to ponder his career trajectory. He's picked the wrong Christmas Eve to become a model employee. A mysterious traveler (an excellent Jason Bateman) appears just as Ethan takes over one of the main carry on screening machines at LAX'S Terminal 7. Texts on his phone prompt him to place a recently found earpiece in his ear. So begins a cat & mouse game that keeps the nearly two hour running time flying by, edging you closer and closer to the edge of your seat. The Traveler wants Ethan to do nothing when a carry on bag comes through his scanner. That's all he has to do, nothing. My first thought was how easy it would be to walk away, but the tight screenplay by T.J. Fixman quickly showed me why I was wrong. The traveler has eyes everywhere. The day has been well planned and a lethal response seems to be a step away for anyone that Ethan attempts to bring into the fold. The film only occasionally leaves LAX to follow Detective Elena Cole, whose investigation of several brutal murders the night before put her on the trail of the traveler. Danielle Deadwyler (Till, The Harder They Fall) is excellent as the only one concerned about where the clues lead on the night before a holiday. She has one action scene on the LA Freeway that absolutely blows the film up into WOW territory. Director Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows, Jungle Cruise) is no stranger to staging fantastic action sequences, but he takes things to another level here. It's the first hand-to-hand fight I've ever seen staged in this tight of space as a freeway full of travelers at 70 MPH feel the impact of the battle. The camera never leaves the inside of the car during the fight. Clever as hell. Collet-Serra also delivers plenty of airport set thrills when Ethan finally leaves that swiveling chair at the luggage screener for some fast paced action. I don't think it's a mistake that Egerton's character shares a first name with Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt. Egerton's TSA man of action runs as fast and as much as Cruise in any Mission Impossible film. Bateman (The Outsider, Air) has emerged as an enjoyable actor to watch in any role and he relishes his time here as The Traveler. Most of the film is verbal sparring between the two men, at first on an earpiece and then in person. I laughed out loud at one point during one of many scenes that stretch logic and credibility to the breaking point and arguably beyond. Bateman spends over a minute detailing exactly what his plan is in a speech that could be Auric Goldfinger or Scaramanga spinning their tales of world domination to OO7 just before their plans to kill the secret agent go awry. The first film of Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment new deal with Netflix, the film makes its $45 million budget look like three times that amount and the LAX sets built at the old airport in New Orleans are excellent. The film looks as good on the ground as it does in the air. Stir up some hot cocoa, grab some Christmas cookies and settle in with CARRY ON. It's the most fun I've had battling bad guys in an airport on Christmas Eve since Bruce Willis lit that fire trail up to the 747 in "Die Hard 2" in 1990. CARRY ON gets a B+.

One of my guilty pleasures from back in 2000, Paul Verhoeven's mad, cool take on the Invisible Man, HOLLOW MAN still thrills. Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers) has never been one to hold back and he certainly doesn't here. Kevin Bacon stars as Sebastian Caine, an egotistical but brilliant scientist about to realize his secret project to render a creature invisible and then bring it back to tangible reality. As he film opens, Sebastian and his team, including Linda (Elisabeth Shue) and Matthew (Josh Brolin) are injecting a huge gorilla with their formula and it disappears before us, one layer of skin at a time. It's a fantastic anatomy lesson, set to a great music score by Jerry Goldsmith (Patton, Planet of the Apes, Body Heat, Star Trek: The Motion Picture). The big money behind their research, led by the always game William Devane, is running out of patience. That combined with the hubris of Caine, drives an almost immediate leap to Sebastian injecting himself. What could go wrong? In the hands of Verhoeven and a lean screenplay by Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One), plenty. I' ve always loved the European attitudes toward nudity and sex that Verhoeven brings to his American films like "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct". I'm not sure he could even make this film today as it's far from politically correct, but it's a lot of fun. The production design by Alan Cameron (Starship Troopers, The DaVinci Code) is first rate, as are the special effects by William Aldridge (Die Hard, Star Trek (2009), The Fifth Element). Is this a Robin Cook medical thriller, a horror film or an action flick that feels like it was made in the 80's? Yes. The finale in the elevator shaft is one hell of an action sequence, well shot, beautifully staged and loaded with great visuals. Bacon is an absolute blast and clearly relishing his role as a cocky scientist gone very mad & angry. He later admitted that he accepted the role partly under the false assumption that he wouldn't need to be on set for scenes of Sebastian invisible, and that it would be an easy performance. He claimed that, to the contrary, this ended up being the most physically demanding and difficult role of his career. Verhoeven's always been our voyeuristic tour guide for the dark side or ambition and sci-fi gone awry. His original "Robocop" is a modern classic. For me, HOLLOW MAN is just as enjoyable as an adult sci-fi action film for the ages. Look closely, that solid B rating is already beginning to fade...........

Smart, suspenseful and clever as hell, HERETIC is an enjoyable puzzle driven by one of Hugh Grant's best performances. The entire cast is game, pulling me into a great set up that delivers. Is it a horror film or a serial killer thriller with a main character that could go toe-to-toe with Lecter? It's best you discover for yourself. The opening is flawless. Two young women, tireless Mormon missionaries, are on a quest for new souls to save. Chloe East (The Fabelmans) is Sister Paxton, the more confident of the two. She carries herself more assuredly, providing inspiration to her road partner, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher from "The Boogeyman" and "Yellowjackets"). Barnes takes the teasing from non-Mormon teens to heart but remains committed to bringing someone new to her flock. The most likely prospect is Mr. Reed (Grant) who has mentioned outside a Costco that he'd like them to follow up at his home. It's an idyllic old house, set apart and surrounded by lush gardens. He answers the door, invites them in, assuring the girls that his wife is in the other room, baking a blueberry pie. They can smell it! Come in, take off your wet coats, let me get you something to drink....... Mr. Reed is the picture of a man urgent to learn more about their faith. There's no doubt he does, but his questions go from generic to specific. He seems to know a lot more about Mormonism than Sister Paxton & Barnes would have suspected. What follows is a very enjoyable and suspenseful cat & mouse game, a quest for truth about religion and choices that has consequences. Serious ones as a matter of fact. The sharp screenplay by Scott Beck (A Quiet Place) and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place: Day One) surprised me again and again. None of the characters are without transformation or growth. No one is quite who they seem. Beck and Woods also directed the film and it feels relentless, creating more suspense out of quiet dialogue than any non-Tarantino film in memory. I'm not going to reveal any of the film's twists and turns. They are plentiful. There are moments that reminded me of Christopher Nolan and his brilliant film, "The Prestige". There are pieces that feel like "Hereditary", one of my favorite horror films of all time. If comeuppance is a dish best served cold, characters deliver it in frozen, brutal style. I loved every path this film took. In the moment, some choices seemed forced, but the film wasn't done with me yet. Thatcher and East are terrific. Both actresses were raised in the Mormon church and bring a palpable truth to their portrayals. Grant is fantastic. Lulling you into casual conversation, his words are like weapons, sharpened and ready to carve apart your responses. His Mr. Reed is all the more terrifying since his position on religions is so informed. Watching the Sister's reactions to his education weaves a delicate line, perfectly plotted. Beck and Woods wrote the role for Grant after seeing him say in an interview that he's tired of playing the same parts over and over again. Mission accomplished. You'll never hear Radiohead's "Creep" quite the same way again........ HERETIC feels like Bill Maher's brilliant 2008 film "Religulous" turned into a horror thriller that delivers intelligent thrills. I didn't see that coming, but I loved it. HERETIC gets an A.