Movie #248 - A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
2006 - Rated R - 1 hr 50 min
Director: Dito Montiel
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Dianne Wiest, Shia LeBeouf, Julia Garro, Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Chazz Palminteri, Eric Roberts, Scott Michael Campbell, Melonie Diaz

I don't even know where to begin.  This movie disturbed me, and I'm not sure if that was the response they're looking for.  Robert Downey Jr plays the author, Dito Montiel, and Shia LeBeouf plays the young Dito in 1986.  Based on a true story, Dito deals with plenty of personal tragedy throughout his troubled past.  Lost loves, the deaths of friends, a distant father... all the cliches.

As a story goes, there's not much resolution here. You watch this movie and come away with very little.  It makes me wonder why the story is told, you know?  As the movie goes, the acting seems forced at times. And the F word, which doesn't usually bother me, appears at least three times in every sentence.  It's hard to feel compassion for any character in this contrived drama... I guess I didn't get it.

Movie #207 - Flight of the Phoenix

Flight of the Phoenix
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 53 min
Director: John Moore
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Miranda Otto, Giovanni Ribisi, Hugh Laurie, Tyrese Gibson, Tony Curran, Scott Michael Campbell

Look, it's Dr. House! Also, one of his patients (Scott Michael Campbell) from that episode when the cop gets sick from the pigeon poop and Foreman catches it too... remember that one? Rad.

Anyway, that's not this movie.  This movie is all right, nothing incredible.  It's a remake and since I haven't seen the original, I can speak to how well done it is, or if it improves on the first one.  Anyone seen it? Care to elaborate?

Meanwhile, Giovani Ribisi is super annoying. And he kinda talks like he's impersonating Hannibal Lecter, which is somewhat creepy but mostly just douchey.  Talk. Like. A. Normal. Person.

I don't have much to say about this cookie-cutter adventure movie.  It's your typical band of strangers pooling their resources and efforts to overcome impending death.  Fly out of the desert on a plane you just built? Yeah, no problem. It's good, thanks to some of the performances, but it's not one you absolutely must see.  It scores a solid 50 on my 0-100 Meh-o-Meter.