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Nicolas Cage in "Ghost Rider"
courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment
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“Nicolas Cage’s Movie Career Is Becoming Ghostly”
Nicolas Cage is an Academy Award winning actor. He has talent, of that there is no doubt. But what he doesn’t have, at least recently, is a talent for choosing his acting projects. That certainly is true in the case of “Ghost Rider.” This movie, now out on DVD, is a bland, blah comic book caper that has Cage taking on the role of a man who spans the worlds of the living and the dead.
Eva Mendes co-stars as the love interest of Johnny Blaze (Cage). She is a beautiful and talented actress who shouldn’t ruin her career too by taking these cheap parts. Peter Fonda is on view as the Devil himself. That’s a lot of talent crammed into one cheesy film.
“Ghost Rider” is good for a few laughs but at the film not with it. It is amazing to think Cage actually thought this was a good role for him. Oh well it probably made him a ton of money and if that is what he wants – so be it!
“Primeval” is a movie that is just as cheesy as “Ghost Rider” but is more enjoyable because the cast really gets into the fun of the film. It is based on a true story about a deadly crocodile that terrorizes people living along a river in Africa. Dominic Purcell of “Prison Break” fame stars as the head of a news crew sent to cover the story of the deadly croc.
Brooke Langton and Orlando Jones play two members of his team and Jurgen Prochnow is their guide. Once they get into the wilderness country the croc shows up as do some corrupt natives. The news crew is caught in the middle.
Purcell makes a great hero and Langton is pretty and spunky in her role. Orlando Jones provides some strong comedy content. Somehow these talented actors manage to make a cheesy movie an enjoyable one. Watch it yourself and see if you agree.
Tyler Perry usually makes enjoyable movies. He proved that with the “Madea” films. In “Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls” he stumbles. The movie has a good plot – hard working dad (Idris Elba) tries to get custody of his three daughters from his less than upstanding ex-wife. He enlists the aid of a super bright attorney (Gabrielle Union) and soon the business relationship turns to love.
It all sounds great but somehow on screen it loses some of its luster. It is hard to define what is wrong but something is missing. Still it has a sweet plot and is fairly entertaining.
Finally there are two Jesse Stone movies. These are the Tom Selleck movies in which he plays Stone, a character created by Robert B. Parker. Both of these movies aired on CBS and were hugely popular. In “Night Passage” Selleck plays Stone and shows his first days on the job as the Chief of Police of Paradise, Massachusetts. Stephanie March and Stephen Baldwin co-star.
In “Death in Paradise” William Devane is the co-star with Selleck. This one involves the murder of a young girl and Stone’s efforts to solve the crime. It is an intense and involving movie with Selleck at his best.
Selleck has been a TV favorite since the days of “Magnum PI.” He will also be seen on “Vegas” this fall, but here’s hoping he will still find time to star as Jesse Stone in these types of adventures.
The weather is heating up and so is the entertainment on the DVD shelves. March yourself down to your favorite store and get a varied selection for home entertainment. |
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©2007 Jackie K. Cooper |
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