About Ealasaid

Ealasaid is a technical writer, freelance movie reviewer, bookbinder, and geek-of-many-trades based in Portland, OR.

The Debt

The Debt

Directed by: John Madden
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas
Rated: R for some violence and language

Moral ambiguity is a staple of the espionage thriller genre. Spies, assassins, and their targets and employers tend not to be people at the all-good end of the ethical spectrum. “The Debt” takes that idea and runs with it, but rather than making for a thought-provoking, exciting film, it turns into a potentially very uncomfortable one.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton
Rated: PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language.

Prequels are by definition at something of an advantage — knowing even the basic plot of the stories that take place after them means that you have at least general knowledge of how the prequel must end. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” definitely has this problem; even folks who haven’t seen the other “Planet of the Apes” movies know how things wind up. Even so, the characters (both human and ape) are engaging enough to draw viewers into the film.

Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference.

Westerns and alien invasion flicks both have their cliches, and the idea of mashing the two together is a clever one — that kind of genre smashing has done well in the past (“Shaun of the Dead” remains my favorite example). “Cowboys & Aliens” held great promise when its previews first started showing, and while it doesn’t quite live up to its potential, it’s still a lot of fun.

Captain America

Captain America

It’s still summer, and “Captain America” is a summer superhero movie if there ever was one. It takes us to a 1940s America where the little guy can achieve beyond his wildest dreams, and where good people can destroy evil with tenacity, luck, and a strong jawline.

Viva Riva!

Viva Riva!

Directed by: Djo Munga
Starring: Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna
Rated: R for strong sexuality, graphic nudity, brutal violence, language, and some drug use.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a very different place from the settings of most gangster films we see here in the States, but “Viva Riva!” would be right at home in a collection of underworld movies. This is a mostly by-the-numbers tale of a young criminal trying to make it big. Filmed in French and Lingala, the subtitles may provide a gloss to cover the occasional flaws for some.

Beginners

Written and Directed by: Mike Mills Starring: Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, Christopher Plummer, Goran Visnjic Rated: R for language and some sexual content

Green Lantern

Directed by: Martin Campbell Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action

Super 8

Written & Directed by: J.J. Abrams Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee, Riley Griffiths, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and some drug use

X-Men: First Class

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn Starring: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Jason Flemyng Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity, and language