NEWS: Pierre Morel Gets A New Project...

One of those surprise films of this year was Taken. With it's great mix of action and visually superb direction, it's right at the end of my top 10 so far of this year. Well, the director of the film, Pierre Morel, has just let us in on what exactly his next project will be, and it's a mixed bag of info.

Variety is reporting that Morel has aquired a yet to be titled thriller, set in Tokyo, that follows a CIA operative, stationed in Japan but on the verge of retirement, who is ordered to carry out a final mission. He finds himself caught in the middle of an international conspiracy.

Now, what really is interesting, is who is creating the project. It is being written by Frank Baldwin, and Alli Shearmur will produce. This kind of bums me out. Sure, what makes Taken such a great film is the direction, but what also made the film so much fun, is the pacing in which not only the direction gave the film, but also from the really well written script, which was penned by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, who won't have any part of this project.

What do you all think about this?

Go see somehting good!

DVD REVIEW: District B13...

So, I love Netflix. First, there is no late fees for renting films. That's all great and stuff, but what really pushes my love over the cliff is their Watch Instantly feature. One is able to watch a film from their library at any point in time, if you either have a computer or a set top TV box. I've seen such films as Angel-A, and The City Of Lost Children via this service, and I also had the chance to check out a solid, adrenaline fueled, action film from Taken director, Pierre Morel. It's called District B13.

Simply put, District B13 is a film set in the ghettos of 2010 Paris, a tough undercover cop and an ex-thug are sent inside the hostel District B13 to defuse a stolen neutron bomb. That's about the extent of the story, and 85 Parkour filled minutes later, that's all one really needs for one hell of an action film.

District B13 is the first feature film from d.p. Pierre Morel, who has become famous as the helmer of the recent action hit, Taken. It was written by Luc Besson, and this group, Besson and his proteges have really become the Apatow crew of action films. From this, to the Transporter, to films like Angel-A and even classics like Leon The Professional or the Fifth Element, they have become the go to group for action films.

This is one of the best of the group. It takes the opening of Casino Royale, the parkour scene, spans it over 85 minutes, and shoots it like a Guy Ritchie action film. This is the epitome of an economic action film. It's a brisk 85 minutes, and there are only a couple of shots that could have been taken out. About two days ago, I watched Red Eye, which if you have seen that, has a similar feel, at least pace wise. B13 is a lot more action packed, but both films have a really brisk pace, and don't like to waste shots.

The cinematography for this film is also quite well done. Where as in Taken it's a much more monochromatic look, with a lot of dark blues and blacks, this feels a lot more warm. Another thing that makes this film superior to his other work, is the fight sequences. In Taken, and a lot of other recent action films, they take a "Bourne-esque" approach to the action. The camera is placed literally in the middle of the action, and it's much more kinetic, but it's also quite confusing. However, in this film, it takes a page out of the Ong Bok book. The camera is placed further back, allowing for the same amount of energy in the frame, but it allows the viewer to know who is who and what is going on inside of the said frame. The stunts here are stunning, and along with the music, there really isn't a dull moment.

Sure, there is a bit of a lag once the cop is introduced, but once the proverbial shit hits the stylized fan, it is one of the best, or at least most fun, action films I've seen in a long time.

DISTRICT B13 - 8/10

Action packed debut of Pierre Morel, and while flawed, particularly in the cop character, the fight sequences alone warrant this films high rating. If you want a deep, thought provoking film, skip it. But if you want something that makes the action of an action more than just superfluous, check this film out. It's art in District B13...

Check out a few of the fight scenes here...





Go see something good!

REVIEW: Taken...

Many modern action films are the bane of my existence. Most of the time, this genre of film, just really doesn't work for me. However, recently, with the release of the Bourne trilogy, and the revamp of the Bond franchise, the genre seems to be attempting something new. That all said, sometimes, an action film comes out of nowhere to not only kick you in the balls, but break your arm and take the gun you are carrying too. One of those films was Taken.

Taken stars Liam Neeson as Bryan, a former spy, who after his estranged daughter gets kidnapped by Armenian gangsters, with the m.o. of getting sent into the sex slave trade, he takes his skills on the hunt for the men behind the kidnapping. That's about it, and it's not much deeper than that, and it almost doesn't need to be.

Taken is the newest film from Transporter writing duo Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamon, and is helmed by District B13 helmer Pierre Morel, and this is one hell of a good action crew. Arguably the action version of the Apatow camp, these guys know how to do action. Rather it be the Professional, or the first two Transporter films, only Neveldine and Taylor may be better to turn to when wanting a group to take over or make a fun, yet mindless action flick.

However, the true star of this film is Mr. Neeson. Age Jack Bower about 20 years, and have him retired, and actually badass, and you have Liam Neeson in Taken. He's not only a real badass, but the reason he is on the hunt, and how human he makes this character, is really well done. He's not suave like Bond, he's not a fighting robot like Bourne is, he's just a guy with some skills, on the hunt for the one thing in the world he loves most. His daughter. And he's willing to kill hundreds of men to get her. As would any father.

Visually, this film is also rather impressive. Luc Besson, best known for directing The Professional and The Fith Element, has recently been penning scripts for his proteges to take the helm of, and so far it's worked. The Transporter films are great, and while I don't think films are much more than throw away pieces of entertainment, for the time you sit there, it's worth your time.

Pierre Morel takes the helm for this one, and it looks like he's truly got a knack for action. The action scenes are very shaky and shot with a handheld camera sort of feel, but the interchanges between the father and daughter are truly where this film shines. The chemistry has to be there, and it seems like the father-daughter dynamic is truly there. They are also shot with a much more stable, steady cam feel, something that Mr. Bourne should take note of.

The film does have a couple of flaws. First, the supporting cast really doesn't hold their own in this one. Famke Janssen isn't very good in this film as the divorced wife, and neither is Maggie Grace, Kim, the daughter. While the script isn't the strongest, there is some real quality meat in those roles, and they just decided to go the other way. They aren't bad per se, but when Liam Neeson is hitting it out of the park as he did, it really shows. Also, as I said, the script isn't the strongest, but there is quality there, and while the action is great, when some of those scenes and a speech that EVERYONE has seen are the films major points, there are a few problems here.

Also, there is one thing that bugs me about this, and the genre as a whole.

When going into the theatre, one must realize that you will toss this film away when you ditch your soda and popcorn after the credits. There's no deep message to the film, no thought provoking moments, and nothing that will be sticking with you much beyond the parking lot. This isn't the Wrestler, it's Taken, and the trailers before it were 12 Rounds and Crank 2, so you have an idea of what you are getting into. There is the human aspect to it, and you can come out of the theatre thinking, "what would YOU do?" However, all is negated when you hear the audience asking themselves, "did you see him shoot the guys wife?" The film is insanely fun, and one I completely reccomend, I just would be interested in seeing an action film take a few notes out of Casino Royale's book, and give us a little more to chew on.

TAKEN - 7/10

Fun, intense, and f!@#ing adrenaline fueled, Taken features a new badass to throw on the Mt. Rushmore of kickassery, much in the vain of Charles Bronson or a film like Breakdown, but nothing much beyond that. A fun 99 minutes, but if you want something more, skip it. That said, I loved this film, so for 7 bucks, it's completely worth the money. Check it out!

Sorry for the short review, there's not much here, but I would love to hear what you all have to say about it!

Go see something good!