Movie #374 - End of Days

End of Days
1999 - Rated R - 2 hr 1 min
Director: Peter Hyams
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Robin Tunney, Kevin Pollack

Isn't it great that Arnold's returning to movies so he can make more gems like this one? Hehehe.

Okay, it's not sooooo bad.  Gabriel Byrne's a pretty scary devil incarnate and Kevin Pollack plays a nice, sorta goofy sidekick to Arnold's Jericho character. Yeah, his name's Jericho.  Jericho. We already knew it was a religious movie, people. Easy already.

So the devil has to mate with chosen-one Robin Tunney, who's not digging Byrne's sideburns. Arnold has to intervene -- cuz mere priests can keep the hunky devil at bay, ya know -- and gets betrayed by just about everyone (thanks to the devil's mucho persuasive powers, obvi.) And btw, if you kill the devil's host body, you can get possessed yourself.... just an FYI, Arnold. Of course, the only one strong enough to kill Arnold is himself, so it's a good thing he's mentally strong enough to fight the devil inside too....

What a weird ending.

Movie #303 - The In-Laws

The In-Laws
2003 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Andrew Fleming
Starring: Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Ryan Reynolds, Robin Tunney, Lindsay Sloane, Maria Ricossa

This movie uses a similar framework to Meet the Parents but with a different spin.  The parents of a young to-be-married couple are getting to know each other when the groom's father (Michael Douglas) gets the bride' father (Albert Brooks) into a whole lot of trouble.  Douglas is an undercover CIA agent - waaaaay undercover - and Brooks gets accidentally dragged along.  He's nervous, uptight, and scared of almost everything, adding to the awkward comedy of this movie.

The young couple is played by Ryan Reynolds and the chick that played Big Red in Bring It On. Reynolds is like a little baby in this movie.  They're okay, but not really a focal point of the film, just necessary players to set up this wacky premise.

It's a fun movie, nothing extraordinary, but the chemistry between Douglas and Brooks is worth watching.

Movie #270 - Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland
2006 - Rated R - 2 hr 6 min
Director: Allen Coulter
Starring: Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Robin Tunney

I love a good murder mystery, espeically one like this.  A mysterious suicide doesn't look right to one investigator, and it's not just any suicide either.  It's Superman's (or the actor that played him, anyway) and there are lots of reasons for him to kill himself but even more for others to do the job instead.  So is it suicide?

The resulting flashbacks aim to tell the story while Adrien Brody tries to get to the bottom of the story.  Ben Affleck embodies the legendary George Reeves well, donning the famous red and blue suit like a champ.  I'm not sure how much of the movie is truth or theory, but they unfold this mystery with just the right amount of suspense and intrigue.

After I finished the movie, I wanted to learn more.  If you're curious, there's a whole article on TruTV.com that will fill in the blanks for you.