Double Feature

December 2009 - The holiday season is upon us and I am in a gift-giving mood. But, what do you get the Mensa members who have everything? How about some tips on two good films? As far as I can tell, both flew under the promotional radar when they were originally released, which is too bad because they're both worth watching.

First is Déjà Vu, a PG-13 thriller from 2006 in which Denzel Washington travels through time to save hundreds of people, including one very pretty woman, from dying at the hands of a mad bomber. Paula Patton (Swing Vote) plays the pretty woman and Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) is the mad bomber.

The film is set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Washington stars as ATF agent Doug Carlin. When a ferry blows up with hundreds of people and dozens of vehicles on board, Carlin is on the case. He quickly realizes that the explosion was no accident and that a woman found dead near the blast scene was a separate victim of whoever blew up the ferry. FBI agent Val Kilmer is also on the case. In a show of inter-agency cooperation, he asks Carlin to join his special task force.

What makes Kilmer's group so special is its ability to play with time. The group uses satellites and other newfangled technology to basically spy on people and witness events that happened four days ago. So, Carlin and company look in the past for a suspect that they can track down in the future.

Overall review: Liked it. The movie held my interest and, as far as I can tell, it stays true to the logic set up by the premise. The performances are fine and the action is good. Next time Déjà Vu comes around, give it a look.

Also worth a look is another PG-13 film, Elizabethtown. A young man turns failure at work into success at love in this 2005 romantic comedy from Cameron Crowe. Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst star. Susan Sarandon and Alec Baldwin have smaller roles.

Bloom plays Drew Baylor, a shoe designer for a company that is definitely not Nike even though it's in the Pacific northwest. Drew has spent years working on a new sneaker, only to have it flop in spectacular fashion. On the heels of that failure, Drew learns that his father has died and he must go collect the body. The body is in his father's hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. On the flight to Louisville, Drew meets a stewardess, played by Dunst. She gives Drew directions and her phone number.

Overall review: Liked it. Maybe it's because I watched this movie in the wee hours of the morning, but I thought it had a nice little vibe going. Bloom and Dunst work well together, Sarandon makes the most of her small role, and you have to see the flaming bird fly through the hotel ballroom as the cover band plays "Free Bird" in the background. Classic!