Knight and Day

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

PG-13

Running time: 109 minutes
















Click below to watch the Knight and Day trailer.



In Knight & Day, civilian Cameron Diaz is on her way to her sister's wedding - when she bumps into agent Tom Cruise at the airport. Diaz soon becomes an unwitting accomplice for Cruise. Diax goes on the run with Cruise in Cruise's battle against CIA agents.

This movie is a cute, comedic spy thriller cross between Mission: Impossible  and Wanted. Cruise's off-beat antics makes you wonder if he really is a rogue CIA agent or not as he takes Diaz around the world. As Diaz says, "I just don't know what to believe." Aside from what may be happening to Cruise and Diaz, I just did not get the sense of the real ultimate stakes of their actions - of why this mission is so important in the first place as everyone searches for a newly developed power source. Also, while we may know where the Knight came from in the movie, there is no obvious reason why the movie would be called Knight and Day unless you really reach for the meaning.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 109 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

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Killers

Lionsgate

Rated PG-13

Running time: 93 minutes

Click below to watch the Killers trailer.



In Lionsgate's Killers, mild, mannered Katherine Heigl meets the man of her dreams, Ashton Kutcher, in France and marries him. When a 20 million dollar contract is put out on Kutcher, Heigl finds out that Kutcher really is not what he seems to be - as "killers" come after them.

This film is a combination of Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Grosse Pointe Blank. Intelligence agent Kutcher craves an ordinary life at home, and treats Heigl like a queen, before Kutcher gets pulled back into the business. Heigl has become trademarked as a ditsy blond, however I miss her in her dramatic roles like in the TV series Roswell. It seems over-the-top that the resources of so many sleeper agents would be sent to keep an eye out for Kutcher as he lives in suburbia. While not everyone is a killer, most of the neighborhood is a sleeper agent and the situation was getting quite funny as a result.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 93 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Walt Disney Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 116 minutes






























Click below to watch the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trailer.



In Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, orphan Jake Gyllenhaal is adopted by the royal family. After presenting a captured robe to his king father Ronald Pickup, the king dies of poisoning and Gyllenhaal must flee, along with the captured princess Gemma Arterton, from his vengeful prince brothers Richard Coyle and Toby Kebbell. Along the way, Gyllenhaal discovers his captured dagger from princess Arterton can turn back time.

Based on the video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the movie was surprisingly enjoyable to watch. I have not seen the game, but the action scenes were mostly well integrated into the movie and not obvious gaming scenes - making the scenes worthy of a Jerry Bruckheimer production, even if there are ostriches in the movie. Actually, I thought the ostrich race was fun. At the end of Gyllenhaal's quest, to return the dagger to it's proper place, is where you will see what are the obvious gaming obstacles. I did not know Ben Kingsley was in this movie, as most of what I knew of the movie came from the Disney Channel and I did not hear the Disney Channel mention Kingsley. The movie might have gotten more box office if Kingsley was promoted more.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 116 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

 Pancho's Movie Reviews

Iron Man 2

Paramount Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 124 minutes















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Click below to watch the Iron Man 2 trailer.



In this sequel to Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jr., who plays Tony Stark, is now known as the armoured hero Iron Man - and the government tries to order Downey to turn his highly advanced Iron Man suit over to them as a new weapons system. Meanwhile, Russian scientist Mickey Rourke takes revenge on Downey for Rourke's dead father.

This is actually a broader and better story than the first Iron Man movie as we deal with opposition from all sides, including Downey's friends. The movie starts off broader, with Iron Man dropping in at an industry Expo of Stark Industries amidst a chorus line of Iron Man cheerleaders - along with music by AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" as Iron Man's theme song. This is more of a dramatic comic book story about the people, like Christian Bale's Batman in The Dark Knight , instead of an over-the-top Joel Schumacher movie like Batman & Robin. As the movie progresses, we see Robert Downey, Jr. falling into depression and alcoholism as he realizes that he is not what his father had expected of him - and also because of the government continually pressing Downey for access of his Iron Man technology for the sake of national security. Gwyneth Paltrow, despite her relationship with Downey, tries to pick up the pieces of Iron Man's public relations disaster. Paltrow also tries running Downey's company, amidst accusations of Paltrow being inexperienced at the job of suddenly being CEO - while Downey falls to pieces from his depression. Mickey Rourke was very convincing as the Russian bad guy Whiplash, while Sam Rockwell might be a bit over the top as Downey's arms merchant contemporary.

Throughout Iron Man 2 are hints of the future Avengers movie that will be a team-up of the various Marvel Comics movie super heroes, of which Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury would be in charge of - including a scene at the end of the closing credits hinting at the nature of one of the more powerful Avengers. I personally can't wait to see Scarlett Johansson continuing her kick-ass role as Natasha Romanoff - The Black Widow.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 124 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.
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The Karate Kid

Columbia Pictures

Rated PG

Running time: 140 minutes

















Click below to watch The Karate Kid trailer.



An update of the original The Karate Kid, Columbia Pictures The Karate Kid has Jaden Smith and his mom Taraji P. Henson leaving their home in Detroit and moving to China for his mom's new job. After getting beaten up by the local bully, Jaden gets martial arts training by their maintenance man Jackie Chan.

I think this update is a better movie than the original The Karate Kid as it deals with the different cultures of American Jaden Smith trying to fit into the Chinese culture. This is also the most dramatic role I have seen of Jackie Chan in a Hollywood movie. Chan's performance actually had me tearing up in one scene. Jaden Smith has become a very talented actor and his ability at kung fu is amazing. The title The Karate Kid is actually a misnomer as the martial arts supposedly being portrayed in the movie is kung fu. As Jaden tells his mother after visiting a kung fu school, "It's kung fu! Not karate!" As I am not familiar between the different martial arts styles, I could not tell if the technique is really kung fu or karate. Either way, the martial arts being portrayed is incredible especially during the tournament scenes at the end of the movie.

Rated PG for violence. Running time: 140 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Sex & the City 2

New Line Cinema

Rated R

Running time: 146 minutes



Based on the TV series Sex and the City, it has been two years since the events from the movie Sex and the City when Sarah Jessica Parker got married. Now Parker is a married lady who is in a rut with her husband Mr. Big Chris Noth and is afraid of being a boring married couple. With all the hassles of home, life and work, Kim Cattrall persuades Parker as well as the other girls, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, to go with Cattrall to Abu Dhabi where Kim's former boyfriend is making a movie and the movie's producer is a sheik.

Even though I have never watched the TV series, I was able to follow and understand the characters as they undergo their trials - such as mother Kristin Davis worrying about her nanny's huge buxom breasts or lawyer Cynthia Nixon quitting her job because of her chauvinistic boss.  You know sex-bomb Kim Cattrall is going to get into trouble in Abu Dhabi as she tests the conservative people there. Cattrall's almost pornographic flaunting of herself is disrespectful in that country and in one sense I was almost looking forward to her getting in trouble for it as she makes no apologies for her actions.

Rated R for sexual situations and language. Running time: 146 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.