Magic Review: Frost/Nixon

Ron Howard's new drama Frost/Nixon which is a dramatic portrayal of the David Frost (Michael Sheen) interviews of infamous President Richard Nixon (Frank Langalla)  is pure cinematic brilliance. I had read all the hype before electing to see this movie although I was still unsure what to expect. The smartest thing the studio decided to do was put two "actors" not "movie stars" in the role of David Frost and Richard Nixon. If they had been stars the movie would have completely missed the mark. Only after watching this movie did I realise where the catchphrase "If the President does it, it is not illegal" came from. I like how this movie looks at the events surrounding the interview and how and why the deal was brokered. Nixon who was in fact payed a hefty sum for his appearance which initially came out of Frosts own pocket is portrayed as a fallen hero when the movie begins however when the curtains come up it is a different story. Sheen does a wonderful job as the ambitious British talk show host who was at the beginning so far out of his depth up against one of the worlds most powerful people that it seemed that he would be totally annihilated . The supporting cast of Kevin Bacon (Footloose) as Lt Jack Brennan, Nixons loyal voice of reason, Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) as Frost's bitter assistant James Reston and lastly Oliver Platt (The 3 Musketeers) as Frost helper Bob Zelnick give the film the credence to be regarded as a successful drama rather than what could have been a mediocre documentary. I walked out of this movie delighted especially with the acting by Frank Langella as Nixon and would urge all to see it for this example of exemplary acting.  Dr Hunter S Thompson once said that "Nixon was so crooked that he needed servants to help him screw his pants on every morning". This movie helps people of my generation who did not live through the Nixon Administration gain a small understanding of how "crooked" he really was. Get out there and see it.

Magic Rating: 8.8/10 

Magic Review: Righteous Kill

Righteous Kill, the new flick starring film legends Robert Deniro (Raging Bull, Good Fellas) and Al Pacino (Dog day afternoon, The Godfather) had me so excited I worked my magic and managed to get a sneak preview of it. Let me just say I feel like I wasted 2 hrs of my life and desperately want it back. The film has a great supporting cast of John Leguizemo (The Pest), Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block), Brian Dennehy (FX) and Carla Gugino (Spin city) although with the exception of Box office cancer "Curtis Jackson" A.K.A 50 Cent. The film has great acting which was to be expected but I have not seen a story line as weak as this since the O.J Simpson trial. The story revolves around two 1st grade NYPD detectives Turk (Deniro) and Rooster (Pacino) who are long time partners that are after Spider (50 Cent) and in the process take down a number of other villians for miscellaneous reasons. The WHOLE film is a build up to a very simple twist which you figure out about 10 minutes before it actually happens. I love watching movies such as the Usual Suspects (1994) or Memento (2000)  where you have no idea that there is even going to be a twist. That is what a thriller really is, a movie that leaves you walking away thinking what the hell just happened. To be honest, I turned this off before the end it was so deplorable. What stumps me the most is how Russell Gerwitz who wrote Inside Man (2006) which I loved, could follow up with such crap. If Inside Man 2 is anything like this movie, I think Spike Lee will be quickly booted out of main stream movies and back to making hood flicks. Lastly, I raise the question as to WHY would you get Jon Avnet who directed the Mighty Ducks (1992) - which I loved, to direct a suspense film?On a lighter note, I love Deniro and Pacino although if they were not in this movie it would have been a straight to Dvd movie that would have been more suited to say Steven Segal! 

Magic Rating: 3.9/10