Killers (DVD/Blu-Ray) - Dir. Robert Luketic. Starring Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck.
Serviceable light comedy about an unadventurous woman (Katherine Heigl) who unknowingly marries a former secret agent (Ashton Kutcher).
The first act is standard chick flick fare; the rest of the movie is the couple fighting off waves of wacky assassins after Kutcher's character is pulled back into his old world.
Killers is more or less the same movie as last month's Date Night, only less labored and tedious. The cast and filmmakers seem to be enjoying themselves rather than settling in for an easy paycheck.
Nevertheless, if a movie of this genre is on the menu, I can't think of a single situation where you wouldn't be happier just watching True Lies again.
Kutcher won't be winning any awards, but his subdued performance here proves that he has layers beyond "manic."
The impossibly-beautiful-woman-who's-somehow-dorky-and-awkward bit played in every romantic comedy of the last few years by Heigl and her many clones is getting old, but at least she plays it well.Tom Selleck's mustache has a major supporting role. Confident and well-groomed, it seems to declare, "Behold! Selleck belongs to me."
Rated PG-13 for comic impalement.3 out of 5
Solitary Man (DVD/Blu-Ray) - Dir. Brian Koppelman, David Levien. Starring Michael Douglas, Jenna Fischer, Imogen Poots.
Aging man-child and disgraced businessman Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas) lives a hedonistic lifestyle that drives away everyone close to him.
Inexplicably billed as a comedy, Solitary Man is really, in the words of one of its characters, "just sad." If there are any laughs to be found here, they're of the wretched, bitter kind.
A rock-solid cast brings the story to life. Danny Devito is so good in the role of the warmhearted average guy that one has to wonder why he doesn't play it more often. Jenna Fischer (The Office) and Susan Sarandon are two of Kalmen's family members growing tired of taking his shenanigans with gentle good humor. The beautiful Imogen Poots, playing the daughter of Kalmen's girlfriend, is sure to become a major on-screen presence in the coming years despite her unfortunate name. And Michael Douglas is perfectly cast as a creepy 60-year-old man; after all, he's been one for the last 25 years.
Startlingly accurate jokes aside, Douglas deserves significant credit for making an essentially despicable and pathetic character likable enough to carry an entire film. Kalmen is a self-aware figure: not concerned enough to change his self-destructive behavior, but never whiny when it comes back to bite him. He's refreshing in his own way.
The cinematography should also be mentioned. Some creative shots make the ordinary world of this modern drama interesting to watch.
Where Solitary Man falls a little short is in the believability of Kalmen's personal journey. The events that lead to both his downfall and his tentative steps toward redemption never feel particularly genuine.
Rated R for graphic depictions of Michael Douglas.3.5 out of 5
