Nazi skinheads in Melbourne take out their anger on local Vietnamese, who are seen as threatening racial purity. Finally the Vietnamese have had enough and confront the skinheads in an all-out confrontation, sending the skinheads running. A woman who is prone to epileptic seizures joins the skins’ merry band, and helps them on their run from justice, but is her affliction also a sign of impurity? Written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com}

“The deeper you look…the more you will find.”

I was fooled - I’ll admit that upfront. I believed the advance hype I read about the film and thought there was a supernatural element involved. Half an hour into the film I realized my mistake. There wasn’t anything supernatural about “Angel Eyes,” clearly it was more of a science fiction story. Jim Caviezel’s character, Catch, was obviously sent to Earth from a distant planet. He was a pod person, here to infiltrate the Chicago Police Department by corrupting the intelligent, independent Sergeant Sharon Pogue (Jennifer Lopez aka J-Lo). What other explanation could there be for an otherwise responsible, logical person to fall in love so quickly with a man who wouldn’t disclose his name, his past, or why he chooses to always dress in a trench coat and t-shirts? Why would a perfectly normal, healthy woman - who also happens to be a cop - throw caution to the wind and overlook even the basic disclosure of a real name? It had to be some form of mind-control practiced by aliens bent on mating with earthlings. Or, as it turns out, it had to be love. A concept that upon listening to these two, seems as strange as alien possession.

Sgt. Sharon Pogue is a tough beat cop. We learn early on that her family life is nothing to smile about. Seems the men in her family like to abuse their women, a trait that has created an estrangement between Sharon and her dad, and eventually from her only brother. Her co-workers treat her like one of the guys and she seems content with that. She’s lacking a personal life, though not from trying. She hates having to answer all the standard date questions about her work. Her dates never ask her what it’s like to help someone in need; all they ever want to know about is whether she’s had to use her gun. She’d much rather be on the job than making small talk.

Through flashbacks, and a series of shots of Catch helping people throughout the city, we’re told that Catch is a strange dude who walks the city alone, keeping an eye on Sharon and doing good deeds for complete strangers. We also learn that Sharon has vivid memories of helping a car accident victim. How the two go together isn’t explained at first, but you just know from the importance placed on the flashbacks that there is some significant connection.

While catching a quick bite at a local eatery, Sharon and a group of her fellow officers are targets of a driveby shooting. Officers are wounded and it’s up to Sharon and her partner, Robby (Terrence Howard), to bring down the perps. No slouch in the fighting and chasing department, Sharon pursues one of the assailants as her partner stops to handcuff the other. Taking off without her partner isn’t a wise move. She’s left to pursue the armed suspect into an area with lots of hiding spaces. Sharon chases him down but ends up on the losing end of a physical altercation, shot twice in the chest but saved by her bulletproof vest. Pinned to the ground, looking into the barrel of a gun, Sharon is all but dead until Catch appears out of nowhere. He attacks the gunmen, knocking the gun away, and holding him down until Sharon’s partner is able to take over.

Catch is dark, mysterious, and apparently, Sharon’s guardian angel. How else to explain his appearance at that exact moment, at that location? As a thank you, Sharon invites Catch to meet her for a drink after work. He shows up, quiet, somber and with a smile that could melt the coldest heart. Sharon can’t get much info from him other than the name Catch, and that he helped her because he appreciates officers and their work at making the streets safe. Catch’s first conversations with Sharon come off as strained, awkward, and reserved. He doesn’t want to disclose anything personal, preferring to start from scratch - as though he had no life up until the moment they met. Catch acts almost as though he’s never spoken to another human being, or had much personal contact with members of the opposite sex (their conversations are so surface level and stilted that the assumption that he’s an alien isn’t really that bizarre). The two have an instant connection, an almost tangible bond that takes Sharon by surprise. Catch has saved her life, and beyond being grateful, she’s attracted both emotionally and physically to her savior.

Too much more info and I’d be giving away the entire story. Suffice it to say that Catch and Sharon are two lonely, complicated people in need of what the other has to offer. “Angel Eyes” turned out to be different than I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. The love story is central to the entire movie without being too cloying or sappy. Two different actors may have taken this movie to other levels, but I felt Jennifer Lopez has never been better cast in a film. Jim Caviezel’s performance is understated, perfectly capturing Catch’s obvious pain and longing. Lopez and Caviezel have a wonderful on-screen chemistry that was surprising in its intensity. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a must-see for romance fans, however it never disappointed me and it kept my interest for the entire film.

About The Production

After a year in development, screenwriter Gerald DiPego (30 films including “Message in a Bottle,” “Phenomenon,” “Instinct,” “Sharkey’s Machine”), director Luis Mandoki (”White Palace,” “Born Yesterday,” “When a Man Loves a Woman,” “Message in a Bottle“), and producer Mark Canton learned that none other than Jennifer Lopez was interested in the film. Chairman and CEO of Franchise Pictures, Elie Samaha, entered the picture and gave the go-ahead to make the film. Recalls Samaha, “When Mark told me of Jennifer Lopez’s commitment to this film and her passion for the story, my response was, ‘Let’s do it’.”

The idea behind the film was to explore a reality-based story of ordinary human beings who personify qualities that might be considered angelic. Producer Mark Canton recalls, “We considered a number of ideas but this is the one I was most excited about. It was very original from the inception. I especially liked the inner-city police beat as our setting and the way the two leading characters were developed as brave but damaged souls.”

Director Luis Mandoki credits his stars for conveying the depth of emotion in their characters with the right subtlety. “Both Jennifer and Jim understood immediately…Their chemistry is phenomenal.” It was Lopez herself who suggested Jim Caviezel for the role of Catch. She was impressed with his ability to convey emotions through his intense gaze and expressive eyes. Caviezel was about to start another film but met with Mandoki and there was no question that he wanted to do “Angel Eyes.” “Angel Eyes” is Caviezel’s first love story. Caviezel states, “Truth is, I just look for great material and this was great material. There’s a wonderful mood to this film that’s very unusual. It’s kind of an old-fashioned story in a contemporary setting.”

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

Van Damme plays Rudy whose father, Oscar is an archaeologist. His father goes to Israel. When his father disappears, he goes to Israel to find him. The chief of police claims that his father never entered the country, but an old friend of his father’s was expecting him and before he could tell him more, some people start shooting at them. He manages to get away, and when he goes back to the police chief, he still refuses to believe that a crime has been committed. He then has Rudy deported, but Rudy convinces the police woman assigned to bring him to the airport not to and help him find his father. Written by {rcs0411@yahoo.com}

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Fargo is based on true events that occurred in Minnesota in 1987 with the names changed to protect the victims. Jerry works in his father-in-law’s car dealership and has gotten himself in financial problems. He tries various schemes to come up with money needed for a reason that is never really explained. It has to be assumed that his huge embezzlement of money from the dealership is about to be discovered by father-in-law. When all else falls through, plans he set in motion earlier for two men to kidnap his wife for ransom to be paid by her wealthy father (who doesn’t seem to have the time of day for son-in-law). From the moment of the kidnapping, things go wrong and what was supposed to be a non-violent affair turns bloody with more blood added by the minute. Jerry is upset at the blood shed, which turns loose a pregnant sheriff from MN who is tenacious in attempting to solve the three murders in her jurisdiction. Written by Anonymous

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They pulled off one of the biggest heists ever and now they have another job to complete. Ocean’s Eleven, which consisted off Danny Ocean (Clooney), Rusty Ryan (Pitt) and Linus Caldwell (Damon) and others, all thought they would be able to enjoy their money, but someone has other plans. Terry Benedict (Garcia) is still fuming after losing his money and wants it back. The team now have the job of getting all the money they spent back, or risk being thrown in jail. How are they going to get it all back? By pulling off another amazing plan. Written by Film_Fan

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The Story

Josh Hartnett stars as Eben Oleson, Barrow, Alaska’s hard-working and dedicated sheriff. While most of Barrow’s citizens take off right before the sun disappears from their town for 30 days, Eben stays put – ready to take care of the remaining townsfolk no matter what the emergency. But even Sheriff Oleson can’t protect the people of Barrow from a pack of vampires who figure out a town pitched into darkness by 30 days without the sun is the perfect feeding ground.

Only a handful of Barrow folks survive the initial attack by the vampires who invade the town only after a crazy man longing to be a vampire (played by Ben Foster who is so good at playing loony) does all the dirty work. ‘The Stranger’ steals and then burns everyone’s cell phones making communication with the outside world difficult. He also kills off all the dogs so that they can’t alert their owners about the oncoming invasion of vampires.

Those lucky enough to elude the vampires first attack include Eben’s estranged wife Stella (Melissa George), Eben’s younger brother Jake (Mark Rendall) and a few other assorted Barrowians (or maybe it’s Barrowers). The ragtag collection of survivors must use all their skill and cunning to escape from being made into vampire chow.

The Cast

Danny Huston makes one of the creepiest vampires in film history as Marlow, the leader of the vampire pack. Huston’s just recognizable beneath the jagged vampire teeth and scary vampire makeup. Delivering choppy bits of dialogue in a strange, made-up vampire language, Huston is pure evil. When he tells one afternoon snack there’s no God, Huston cements his place in movie vampire history.

Josh Hartnett’s very convincing in the role of sheriff, carrying the majority of the scenes involving the Barrow survivors on his shoulders with no problem at all. George and Hartnett work well as a couple experiencing major marriage problems, and the rest of the cast do more than just scream and run around like chickens with their heads cut off. There’s a little more meat on these horror movie characters than is normal for the genre – and particularly for vampire movies – so that’s a refreshing change of pace.

The Bottom Line

The night feeders in 30 Days of Night are ugly, monstrous creatures who care nothing about those of us running around with beating hearts, other than how quickly they can kill us. These vampires are a far cry from the romanticized versions which populate TV shows. Their kills aren’t clean and neat and they aren’t accompanied by witty quips. This is a vampire story for those ready for a whole lot of gore, and for those able to accept without analyzing the rest of the plot. Puzzling over how the humans survive without heat or electricity in the freezing cold - or how they get by when they never seem to eat – is pointless. Ignore the gaping plot holes. It’s just a vampire movie, albeit one that’s a fresh, gruesomely fun take on the bloodsucking creatures.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

Two foster brothers (Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes) work as transit cops. While one’s life is as good as it gets, the other’s is a pit. After losing his job, getting dumped by his brother, and getting the crap kicked out of him by a loan shark for the umpteenth time, He implements his plan to steal the “money train,” a train carrying the New York Subway’s weekly revenue. But when things go awry, will his brother be able to save him in time? Written by A CIA operative

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The deranged military and former CIA agent Dean Cage (Wesley Snipes) is in a rehab program, trying to forget the traumatic loss of his best friend Scott in Bosnia. When he dates with his girl-friend and Scott’s sister, Detective Amy knight (Jacqueline Obradors), in a dinning restaurant, he is mistakenly taken as being the CIA agent that is investigating the robbery of the military experiment EX by a man called Sullivan (Stuart Wilson). He is injected with the drug and abducted by the thieves. Amy has six hours to find the also stolen antidote and save Dean’s life. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Quadripeligic ex-cop Lincoln Rhyme was looking forward to his assisted suicide when he got the news: some sicko was abducting people in a taxi and leaving them to die in particularly sadistic ways. With time counting down between each abduction and possible death, Rhyme recruits rather-unwilling Amelia Donaghy, haunted by her cop father’s suicide and thinking she’s next, into working the crime scenes to track down the killer. Written by Jeff Cross {blackjac_1998@yahoo.com}

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In this blend of the B movie classic The Blob (1958) and some Romero’s zombies film, a meteorite collides in a small town. Grant finds it, and is infected by a parasite worm, which installs in his brain and causes him a creepy transformation into a monster. Starla, his wife, and Bill, a policeman, will try to stop him and the plague of worms generated by the creature. Written by Alejandro Frias

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