Law Abiding Citizen

Gerard Butler's grisly 21st Century cinemagraphic version of Crime & Punishment aka Law Abiding Citizen, is far more violent than last years Academy Award winning No Country for Old Men.

It remains to be seen over time whether Butler earns respect in his corner of the sandbox shared with the likes of the Cohen brothers, Scorcese, and others,  in this his explorative foray into the flaws in our legal system. Butler is off to a good start putting a footprint in the sandbox with this visual and powerfully conflicting moral exposition exposing flaws found in  our legal system as a Law Abiding Citizen.

LAC will make you think, and stimulate conversation amongst you and your educated friends afterward, guaranteed.

This movie is not for the squeamish even though only R rated. My date fior this movie won't go out with me again  because in  her  aversion to the violence, she quipped, "If you liked that we have zero in common". I guess I'm better off.

The thing about LAC is that  while you might be put off a couple times like  I was, the basic premise and though provoking story will make you pick a moral stance.

Why does our legal system allow plea agreements with murders and felons who admit guilt  in  crimes?

The flick is thought provoking, with more than two or three scenes where you and every other viewer watching with you will jump right out of your collective seats, guaranteed.

The execution in the prison is not for any children nor the squeamish.

Crimes against children are suggested and implied without being explicitly potrayed.

I would not invite my children at 13 or under, to watch this with me.

Certainly not for squeamish adults - turns out my date kept her hands over her eyes through large portions of the movie.

You might too. I did not, but I would never relish listen to the perp's recounting of how he dismembered his family's killer's body.

Too violent for owning the DVD to watch again for me.

The Soloist

Is The Soloist good? Yes! Is Jamie Fox terrific playing Nathanial Ayers, musician extraordinaire? Yes! Is Robert Downey Jr.'s performance worth seeing? Yes! Do you need to see it on the big screen to avoid losing any impacts? No. Does it make you cry? Yes, a bit sad too. Would I recommend you see it? Yes, it's a wonderfully acted and entertaining story - an emotional accounting of a musical prodigy who falls off the face of the musical world and largely out of sight until discovered by a reportner (Downey), who knows how to follow his instincts with a story, Ayer's gradually succumbing to the the inner voices of his schizophrenia and decline from aocial skills becomes the focus while Downey's character struggles to wonder how to un-do it all. While I liked the movie, it really doesn't go anywhere and could've been titled "How The Homeless Become". The stats at the end of the movie are moving, but all in all nothing in The Soloist is provacative enough to make me feel compelled to go donate to a shelter, and other than the music interest, I wondered how the movie failed to drive the need for homeless support home. OK for inquisitive youngsters who care capable of understanding sometimes things go wrong in between folks ears that cause them to run aground in the stream of life. Anyone with a ucical career interest should like like this too.

State of Play

No doubt Russell Crowe knows how to pick a script he can excel with, and he does so as Cal, a reporter who probably crosses the line of investigative reporting when working the murder story of a lucious redhead who turns up dead sometime after ending an affair with Ben Afflack's character Steven,  the Congressman in this suspenseful thriller that runs amuck where politics and investigative journalism mix with friendship and corruption. The Dad doesn't see the need to rush out and see State of Play on the big screen but does give a solid 3 on a scale of 1 - 5 as a should see at least on DVD. State of Play scores a NO on the Digital Dad's scorecard in the "Kids under 13" categoryof my ratings system. Parents though, cuddle up and enjoy this thriller when its up for grabs on your Netflix subscription or blockbuster rental night, but I wouldn't rush out of the house to see it in a rainstorm.