rah604

Here's an action movie done with sass and style. Geena Davis plays Samantha Caine, a schoolteacher living with her daughter and charming boyfriend. The thing is that eight years ago, Samantha was struck by amnesia and can't remember her past. To unlock the mystery, she enlists that aid of several private investigators, including a sleazy, low-rent PI (Samuel L. Jackson). It turns out, although, that she used to be Charly Baltimore, a deadly female spy who used to work for the CIA. As Charly begins to slowly recover her memory, she realizes that she is being targeted by her former allies.

The action is non-stop and delivers on its premise. Geena Davis definitely proves to be one Hollywood's most versatile actresses, as she admirably transforms the warm and cookie-cutting Samantha into a lethal femme fatale. She certainly doesn't look out of place, when she is handling a high-powered rifle shooting off some bad guys. Even, a funny Samuel L. Jackson knows to step out of Geena's way to let her dominate the screen.

Rating: 7/10 or (3 stars)

'Igby Goes Down' is definitely in the 'Catcher in the Rye' territory. Although, the film is nowhere near as powerful as Salinger's novel, writer and director Burr Steers has made an indelible film about teenage rebellion. Kieran Culkin comes into his own with a career-making performance as Jason 'Igby' Slocumb Jr.

Right off the bat, we learn about Igby's rather dysfunctional family. His pill-popping and neglectful mother (Susan Sarandon in a icy yet hysterical performance), his schizophrenic father and prep-school jerk brother (Ryan Phillipe). Igby does not see eye-to-eye with his family, particularly his mother, whom he blames for his father's mental breakdown. Igby constantly p***es of his mother, by taking some of her pills and getting kicked out of school after school.

Igby refusing to 'go down' like his father, decides to leave home and make it on his own. He leaves to Manhattan, where he goes on a rather bizarre, yet memorable adventure to find himself.

Kieran Culkin has certainly come a long way from his sappy turns in 'Father of the Bride' and 'Nowhere to Run'. Here he rises above the material to create a sarcastic and emotionally charged character. It's an award-caliber performance that was sadly overlooked when the Oscars came rolling around. 'Igby Goes Down' may start slowly and awkwardly, but once it gets going, it grabs you.

Rating: 7/10 or (3 stars)

'The Andromeda Strain' is an adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel about four scientists, all of whom are assigned to study a mysterious alien virus and stop it from spreading.

There is a great story to be told here, but the film seems to be more concerned with astonishing us with technology rather than telling it. Throughout the film, the audience is subjected to close-ups of machines and computers, and this quickly becomes redundant. So does the film, as it drags in excruciatingly slow motion. The screenplay hardly ever cuts deep into its characters. As a result, most of the characters never rise above the level of caricature. Only Kate Reid, as one of the scientists, manages to inject some humor into an otherwise lifeless sci-fi. But despite all of its flaws, the film never feels the need to insert any romantic mush or alien cliches, so we have to give it some credit.

Rating: 5/10 or (2 stars)