Shutter Island (2010)

Two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Thriller and Adaptation
Running Time: 2 hrs. 18 min.
Release Date: February 19th, 2010 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.
Distributors: Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Produced by: Dennis Lehane, Laeta Kalogridis, Louis Phillips (II)

In Paris, agent James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) works in the office of the US Ambassador in Paris, who is preparing to welcome the US Secretary of State to an African peace summit, as cover for the CIA. His agency duties are changing license plates, despite asking for more special operations. He is proposed to by his girlfriend Caroline (Kasia Smutniak), who gives him a ring belonging to her father.

Reese is then promoted, and tasked to escort Charlie Wax (John Travolta), a decorated wetwork operative. After attacking a Chinese restaurant operating as a front for cocaine distribution, Charlie tells Reese that the niece of the Secretary of Defense overdosed on the gang's cocaine, and he has been instructed to dismantle the entire operation. They follow a Pakistani drug mule, using stolen cocaine to access the building where the mule entered, and find an operation crafting suicide vests. They escape after collecting a wealth of intelligence. Despite Reese's efforts, several Paris police officers are killed trying to apprehend them after accidentally setting off a booby trap.

Reese brings Charlie home for dinner, introducing him to a friend of Caroline. After a pleasant evening, Caroline's friend receives a phone call looking for Rose. Upon hearing the name, Wax kills the girl, claiming that it was a code phrase that they had been compromised, and reveals to Reese that his apartment has been bugged by Caroline, including the ring she gave him, which contains a tracking device. Caroline grabs a hidden gun and wounds Reese, and manages to escape Charlie.

The following morning, Reese tracks down the car Caroline used to get away, and destroys it with an AT4 moments before it rams the motorcade with the Secretary of State. Reese realizes that Caroline, who makes her own clothing, is planning to infiltrate the peace summit. Entering the building, he catches up with Caroline. Despite efforts to dissuade her, she reaches to detonate her vest, and Reese kills her.

Afterward, Wax offers to take Reese, who has been implicitly invited into Special Operations, to continue working with him.

Cast
John Travolta : Charlie Wax
Jonathan Rhys Meyers : James Reese
Kasia Smutniak : Caroline
Richard Durden : Ambassador Bennington
Bing Yin : M Wong
Amber Rose Revah : Nichole
Eric Godon : Foreign Minister
Francois Bredon : The Thug
Chems Dahmani : Rashid
Sami Darr : The Pimp
Julien Hagnery : Chinese Punk
Mostefa Stiti : Dir Yasin
Rebecca Dayan : Foreign Minister's Aide
Michaël Vandermeiren : Airport Security Official
Didier Constant : Customs Official
Alexandra Boyd : Head of the Delegation
Mike Powers : Embassy Security
Stephen Shagov : Embassy Security
Jeffrey Braco : Embassy Security
Nick Loren : Chief of Security
Farid Elouardi : Bearded Driver
Joaquim Almeria : Trench-Coat 1
Melissa Mars : Wax's Hooker
Yin Hang : Asian Hooker "German"
David Gasman : German Tourist/ the voice
Frédéric Chau : Chinese Maitred
Tam Solo : Suicidal Pakistani

Reception
The film has received mixed to negative reviews, and currently holds an 33% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 86 reviews.[1]

Film critic Jonathan Hickman gave the film 2 stars stating, "FROM PARIS WITH LOVE trades in its smarts early leaving nothing aside from a goofy, wise-cracking John Travolta to gawk at." [2]

New York Times film critic Stephen Holden acknowledged his embarassment in enjoying a movie he still thought was bad: "I am ashamed to admit that this empty-headed, preposterous, possibly evil mélange of gunplay and high-speed car chases on Parisian boulevards is a feel-good movie that produces a buzz." Although the movie "wallows in action for action’s sake", Holden confessed, in some of the action scenes, "you lean back, let the action wash over you and feel the caffeinated glow as it seeps into bones. For better or worse, From Paris With Love is an effective stimulant."[3]

In this "testosterone-injected thrill ride", Michael O'Sullivan wrote in The Washington Post, the action "is undeniably exciting, though perhaps not recommended for people with pacemakers." In buddy-movie tradition, the two male leads bond emotionally, although in this film, they "bond over that most intimate rite of masculine passage: James's first killing," O'Sullivan sarcastically reports about a film he gives two stars out of a possible four. Referring to the movie's overall violence, he added, "And yeah, it's all kind of funny, in a smirky, Pulp Fiction sort of way."[4

Is Avatar Really King Of The Box Office?

Yes, it's got the biggest worldwide gross of all time.
But it's still no "Gone With The Wind."

James Cameron broke his own record Tuesday. With a $1.86 billion haul, "Avatar" beat "Titanic" to become the highest grossing movie of all time at the worldwide box office.

It's a remarkable achievement. But before every Hollywood studio exec decides that all future movies must be in 3-D and feature blue aliens, it's worth getting a little perspective on the film.

"Avatar" has the advantage of showing in 3-D (which usually commands an average $3 extra per ticket) and coming out at a time when even 2-D movie tickets are more expensive than ever. According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the average ticket price in 2008 was $7.18, up 56% from prices in 1997 when "Titanic" was in theaters.

A look at domestic grosses adjusted for inflation shows a more realistic view of "Avatar"'s performance.

In the U.S., "Avatar" has grossed $555 million making it the second highest grossing domestic (as opposed to worldwide) film of all time. Titanic is temporarily still in the lead here with $600.8 million.

But adjusting for ticket price for inflation, Avatar ranks as the 26th highest grossing film in the U.S., according to Box Office Mojo. Number one? "Gone With The Wind" with $1.5 billion adjusted gross in the U.S. "Star Wars" ranks second with $1.3 billion.

Cameron's "Titanic" ranks sixth (just behind "The Ten Commandments") with an adjusted $943 million take in the U.S.

Movies are released very differently today then they were in 1939 when "Gone With the Wind" premiered. The film showed originally in 156 theaters in the U.S. "Avatar" premiered on 3,452 screens. "Gone With the Wind" was re-released in 1947, 1954 and 1961. In 1967 it was shown in 70 mm. With as many as 600 films being released per year, these days few films get a second shot in theaters.

Of course movie now can sometimes double their box office with DVD and television sales. Here we're only looking at box office.

Even some modern films beat "Avatar" when looked at through a price-adjusted prism. "Forrest Gump" (1994) ranks 22nd with an adjusted $623 million box office. "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace," which was released in 1999, ranks 19th with an adjusted $623 million domestic gross.

But most of the films at the top are from at least 30 years ago. "The Sound of Music" ranks third with an adjusted $1.05 billion take. "E.T." is just behind with $1.04 billion.

With no film on the near horizon poised to challenge "Avatar"'s dominance, the film is sure to continue to mint money. But it's got a way's to go to catch up with a classic like "Gone With The Wind."

Most Anticipated Movies of 2010

It's a brand new year and there's a whole new crop of movies to look forward to featuring robotic superheroes, sparkly vampires, and renegade wizards. We've put together a gallery of some of the most anticipated flicks of 2010. Check it out.

Shutter Island
Release Date: February 19
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio team up again in this horror yarn about being trapped in the world's worst insane asylum.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Release Date: March 5
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up again, this time to re-imagine Lewis Carroll's bizarre and beloved tales.

CLASH OF THE TITANS
Release Date: March 26
Greek hero Perseus (Sam Worthington) battles Hades (Ralph Fiennes), god of the underworld, in this remake of the 1981 cult classic.

THE EXPENDABLES
Release Date: April 23
Pretty much every blockbuster icon of the '80s -- Sly Stallone, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, even Arnold Schwarzenegger -- stars in this action yarn directed by Stallone himself. Expect a lot of explosions.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Release Date: April 30
Freddy Krueger is back in this reboot of the iconic '80s horror franchise

IRON MAN 2
Release Date: May 7th
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) suits up again. This time he squares off against Mickey Rourke who sports a Russian accent and some terrifying new technology.

ROBIN HOOD
Release Date: May 14
Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott struck Oscar gold with their last action-adventure outing in "Gladiator." This time around, they're tackling that famed medieval do-gooder Robin Hood.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER
Release Date: May 21
Everyone's favorite green ogre returns to the silver screen, featuring the voice talent of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, and Antonio Banderas

SEX AND THE CITY 2
Release Date: May 28
Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte follow up on their blockbuster big screen debut with new tales of love, romance, and fabulous shoes.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME
Release Date: May 28
Jerry Bruckheimer brings the popular video game to life, starring a very buff Jake Gyllenhaal.

THE A-TEAM
Release Date: June 11
Hannibal, Faceman, Murdock, and B. A. Baracus come to the big screen in this adaptation of the '80s TV series, starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Biel.

TOY STORY 3
Release Date: June 18
Buzz, Woody, and the gang return to find themselves trapped in a day care toy box.

JONAH HEX
Release Date: June 18
Josh Brolin and Megan Fox star in this Western based on a popular DC comic book series.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE
Release Date: June 30
In this third installment of the deliriously popular Twilight series, audiences will finally learn if Bella chooses Edward, the brooding, yet dreamy, vampire, or Jacob, the well-chiseled werewolf.

THE LAST AIRBENDER
Release Date: July 2
Before "Avatar" was synonymous with half-naked, nine-foot tall blue people, it was known as the title of a popular animated fantasy series on Nickelodeon. Anointed with a new name, the series now is getting the big screen treatment, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

INCEPTION
Release Date: July 16
Fresh off his wildly popular superhero epic "The Dark Knight," director Christopher Nolan helms this mind-bending thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOW: PART 1
Release Date: November 19
Harry Potter and the gang face off against Voldemort in this first half of the climax of this hugely popular series.

THE GREEN HORNET
Release Date: December 17
Seth Rogen stars as the green-clad superhero who fights crime with his "sidekick" and martial arts master Kato. Michel Gondry directs.

TRON LEGACY
Release Date: December 17
Jeff Bridges reprises his role as Kevin Flynn, a programmer sucked into cyberspace, in this sequel to the landmark 1982 sci-fi flick.

THE RUM DIARY
Release Date: TBA
In 1998, Johnny Depp played a barely fictionalized version of legendary gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" with brilliant aplomb. In "Rum Diary," he reprises his role, playing an out of control reporter in the Caribbean.

MPAA:
R for some brutal violence and language.

Running Time:
1 hr. 58 min.

Directed By:
Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes

In the not-too-distant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth--all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes, an ounce of water... or for nothing at all.

But they're no match for this traveler.

A warrior not by choice but necessity, Eli seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. It's not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive--and continue.

Only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds, and is determined to make it his own: Carnegie, the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Meanwhile, Carnegie's adopted daughter Solara is fascinated by Eli for another reason: the glimpse he offers of what may exist beyond her stepfather's domain.

But neither will find it easy to deter him. Nothing--and no one--can stand in his way. Eli must keep moving to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity.

Some see racist theme in alien adventure 'Avatar' (AP)

Near the end of the hit film "Avatar," the villain snarls at the hero, "How does it feel to betray your own race?" Both men are white — although the hero is inhabiting a blue-skinned, 9-foot-tall, long-tailed alien. For more info please click here...

Daybreakers

Genres : Horror, Action and Drama
Released : January 8, 2010
Directors : Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Distributor : Lionsgate
Starring : Ethan Hawke, William Dafoe, Sam Neill, Michael Dorman and Claudia Karvan

Fresh off the success of their inventive take on the zombie genre, Undead masterminds Michael and Peter Spierig direct Ethan Hawke in an ambitious tale of a futuristic Earth populated entirely by vampires, and the efforts made by the creatures to ensure that their food supply doesn't run out as humankind is faced with extinction. The year is 2017, and a vampire plague has turned most of the planet's human population into bloodsucking ghouls. As the population of mortals fast begins to dwindle, a resourceful team of vampires sets out to capture and farm every remaining human while simultaneously researching a consumable blood substitute. Just when all hope seems lost, a secret is discovered that may provide the key to saving the human race. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide