Movie Review #2865 MILE 22.

Latest offering from the Mark Wahlberg school of action adventure takes takes place in an unnamed Southeast Asian country and the man is smuggling an informer across town, 22 miles across town to be exact.

Trouble is the bad dudes want him too, obviously, and so begins a couple hours of nonstop gratuitous violence, blood and guts, explosions, car crashes and all manner of chases all the while not a hair being swept out of place on the man’s head.

Nothing original here, all been done before and the chop socky fight sequences become very tedious after the first few, especially as we already know the outcome (most of the story is told in flashbacks). A slight double twist at the end answers the questions about the beginning and we’re left hanging by a final  inference but it’s all too predictable despite being somewhat entertaining.

John Malkovich is the one stand out but he has such a small part that it’s inconsequential.

Overall not the worst action flick I’ve seen but certainly not there with the best either, 6/10. 

Movie Review #9358 THE BOOK CLUB.

Not really my fare however Jenny was keen so off we went on  a Mon afternoon.

Starring four bastions of female thespianism in Candace Bergen, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Diane Keaton it centres on four lifelong friends who in their more mature years, taking time out to read and share thoughts on various books, until they come to Fifty Shades of Grey.

Each then appears to take an interesting turn on the romantic scene with Don Johnson, Richard Dreyfus and Andy Garcia showing up as love interests with Craig T Nelson as the husband in the one surviving marriage.

Essentially a movie of four romances and very much a chick flick, it’s all pretty predictable although Candace Bergen does a great job of the wronged wife who’s hubby shows up with someone half her age.

Along with themes of over protective daughters, excess female success, disconnected relationships and old flames, it makes for a Woman’s Day fest which I’m sure that audience will lap up and enjoy to the max.

6/10 from me.