Dead Man Down

An amazing opening scene to begin, followed by your typical revenge flick, "Dead Man Down" is nothing spectacular. But it is also worth the watch, if you're looking for a good action movie.

Set in New York, but also painfully obvious that some scenes were filmed in Philadelphia (1:55, Philadelphia City Hall can be seen through the window) "Dead Man Down" tells the story of a man who works for the mob. He is approached by one of his neighbors who threatens to send the police a video of him killing a man if he doesn't agree to help her kill the man that left her face scarred in a drunk-driving accident. Being a criminal and not particularly caring for human's he agrees.

You mean to tell me, I get off scott-free if I do

the same thing I do everyday? Deal!

But everything becomes complicated when he starts falling in love with the woman. Not really. Just ads spice to his life. What really gets complicated is when she finds out he actually only joined the mob to get close to the same man that killed his family, to keep them from testifying in a trial against him. But for some reason, his boss doesn't know what the man who was going to testify against him looks like. So it makes it quite easy for him to be accepted into the gang.

Like I said, this film is nothing special. It is filled with clichés and half-thought plot-points. The acting, cinematography and writing is good enough to keep the movie flowing, but it's nothing to write home about. Frankly, had it not been filmed in Philadelphia, I might not have seen it. But if you are bored one day, and have nothing to watch, "Dead Man Down" is a good time filler.

My Grade: B-

Prometheus

There is a debate among filmmakers and film fans alike. Is Prometheus a prequel to Alien or not?

The answer is both yes and no.

Prometheus tells the story of several scientists, from different fields, traveling to the moon of a distant planet where they believe the creators of man kind to live. Led by Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, played by Noomi Rapace (the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), the team finds that the creators of the human race had an outbreak of a virus they were going to use as a weapon. But are they all gone?

The debate among the audience is a ridiculous one, as are most other debates. For one, Ridley Scott, the director, stated that it wouldn't be, but acknowledged the fact that it would take place in the same universe as the Alien movies.

This is the filmmaker we are talking about. I feel he would know more than anyone.

"But, Mike! The ship they find in the Alien is the same ship in the trailer!"

May I point you to a dictionary?

pre·quel

  [pree-kwuhl] 

noun

a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work,as by portraying THE SAME CHARACTERS AT A YOUNGER AGE

The characters in Prometheus are not the same characters in Alien. However, the event in Prometheus lead up to the events in Alien. Therefore, it is and isn't a prequel at the same time. NOW STOP ARGUING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T MATTER.

I digress.

Prometheus is a great movie that stands out from it's alleged sequels. It has a completely different feel and has more story behind. It has been a while since I've seen the Alien movies, but I don't remember much back story for the characters in it. Prometheus reveals much backstory for certain characters.

There are some great characters in this film as well. David, played by Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Inglourious Basterds). David is a robot, created by the financier of the mission. He follows the agenda of "his father" which at times can seem sinister. Michael Fassbender was great. He really sold the fact that he was a robot. The little things he did to portray the character made the character complete.

Overall Prometheus is a fantastic movie that separates itself from its counter parts.

My Rating: A-