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Film: LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

Director: F. Gary Gray

Actors: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Leslie Bibb, Regina Hall, Bruce McGill, Josh Stewart

Year: 2009

I'm pretty disappointed with Gerard Butler. He's really been in some heinous movies in the last few years. Anything for a payday, right? "Law Abiding Citizen" is tired. Very predictable and just plain ridiculous. After a man's wife and child are murdered, the men responsible are given a plea bargain. The angered man decides to take matters into his own hands. He doesn't stop there though. He goes after the prosecutor, judge, and anyone else involved with the case. It's absurd. The fact that he has all this access to all these people is laughable. It's not a good movie, so skip it. If you are in the mood for a great revenge film, check out either of the "Kill Bill" flicks or "Man on Fire".

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Film: BE COOL

Director: F. Gary Gray

Actors: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito, Christina Milian, Andre Benjamin, Dwayne Johnson, Cedric the Entertainer, Steven Tyler, James Woods, Debi Mazar

Year: 2005

Synopsis: Movie producer (and former gangster) Chili Palmer looks to make a move into the music business by signing a new hot singer.

Despite the fact that it's the sequel to 1995's blockbuster "Get Shorty" with an all-star cast to boot, "Be Cool" is a real stinker. The presence of John Travolta and Uma Thurman (trying desperately to relive their "Pulp Fiction" glory) can't save this turkey (gobble, gobble). The supporting cast is bad (mostly Christina Milian, The Rock, and Andre 3000), the ads are boring (a poster of Andre entitled "Be Bad", Milian with "Be Famous", The Rock with "Be Yourself" and of course Travolta with "Be Cool". CORNY!!), and more importantly, the story sucks. Take a pass on this and netflix "Get Shorty" instead.

Quote of the Day

"Every time I come in the kitchen, you in the kitchen. In the goddamn refrigerator. Eatin' up all the food. All the chitlins... All the pig's feet... All the collard greens... All the hog maws. I wanna eat them chitlins... I like pig's feet."

John Witherspoon as 'Mr. Jones',

"Friday", 1995

Flick of the Day

Film: THE NEGOTIATOR

Director: F. Gary Gray

Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin, Paul Giamatti, John Spencer, Siobhan Fallon, J.T. Walsh

Year: 1998

Synopsis: A wrongfully-accused police negotiator takes an office hostage, to find out who really killed his partner.

This fantastic nail-bitter stars Samuel L. Jackson (in a perfect role) as a police negotiator, who is framed for the murder of his partner. Jackson takes an office full of people hostage, in order to solve the mystery. When the police try to talk him down, he asks for a negotiator (Kevin Spacey in a pre-"American Beauty" role) from another department to help him. This film is wonderfully done by a young F. Gary Gray (only his third project).