Predators

Predators

Well, I have to give producer Robert Rodriquez (Desperado) and director Nimrod Antal (Kontrol) credit. Their hearts were in the right places. They looked back at the history of the Predator franchise and watched as it was bogged down in a futuristic city in the first sequel and then dragged through the mud in two ridiculous 'vs. Aliens' movies.

So if Predators doesn't quite hit the mark, it's not through lack of trying. The basic plot is a fun extension of the original. Various ruthless killers from around the globe are gathered together and parachuted into a strange jungle. They include a mercenary (Adrien Brody), a sniper (Alice Braga), a Russian soldier (Oleg Taktarov), an African rebel (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), a Japanese Yakuza (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a Mexican cartel enforcer (Danny Trejo), a murderer (Walter Goggins), and also a doctor (Topher Grace, onboard for some comic relief). It doesn't take long before this group of hunters realize that they are now the ones being hunted - by a trio of vicious Predator aliens. If you've seen the originals, you know what you're in for. If you are new to the franchise, then you are about to watch some giant, wonderfully designed alien warriors who like to hunt humans for sport with a variety of spears, wrist blades and shoulder cannons. The Predators themselves were cool in 1987, and they are still pretty cool.

As a dumb, fun action flick, Predators gets the job done, I suppose. The fight scenes are engaging, the weapons are cool, and the explosions are appropriately big. But the movie is full of good ideas that either don't pay off or just end plain stupidly. Only two or three of the characters are even remotely interesting or memorable. The "mystery" about why the doctor is in the jungle is predictable and unnecessary - and actually makes no sense as presented. The characters continually do things that are really stupid - for example, pretty early on the gang finds out that the Predators can see their heat signatures. And they realize that if they cover themselves in mud, they can mask their heat signature, pretty much making themselves invisible to the alien hunters. But do they smother themselves in mud? Nope. They just kind of say, "oh, that's interesting" and then go about their merry way.

But there is still some fun to be had. Adrien Brody ("The Pianist"), who I initially thought was woefully miscast as a tough mercenary, is actually really good. He's appropriately badass and damn, is he cut. Brody has clearly been working out. A lot. And Alice Braga (I Am Legend) as the guilt-ridden sniper Isabelle, really brings a bit of humanity to accompany her toughness.

All in all, its not a great movie. Despite its best intentions and some great ideas, its a bit of a misfire. But it is certainly better than any other Predator movie since the original. If you need an old school action movie to watch, there are worse ways you can spend your afternoon.

MVP: This one is easy. Alice Braga. I don't know what it is, but the camera loves her in this movie. Braga has never really registered on my radar before, but I guess you give a girl a sniper rifle and I start paying attention! But she's more than just a dirt and blood covered pretty face; she actually gives the best performance in the movie. Though the role is a bit under-written, she actually manages to create a three-dimensional character, someone who got her old partner killed, who doesn't want to be a part of violence any more, who actually thinks before she acts, and who puts the group before anyone's petty interests. If Adrien Brody is the leader of the this ragtag group of killers, she's the heart and the conscience. It's a good performance. And wow, does she look cute running around with that sniper rifle.

TRIVIA: The original script called for cameos from the stars of the earlier Predator movies - Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover. Unfortunately, those scenes were cut out of the script. Which is a bummer, because that would have been pretty cool.

BEST LINE: Royce: "How do we kill them?" Noland: "However you can."

Spy Kids

Spy Kids

In 2001, Spy Kids was a complete and utter surprise to me. Writer-director Robert Rodriguez was known for his action movies and I was befuddled that the maker of Desperado was tackling a kid's movie. But he didn't just tackle it, he knocked it out of the park.

Kids live action films are often terrible. I know I am not the audience for them, but what happened to movies that the whole family could enjoy, including the parents? (Pixar has had the formula down from the very beginning; why weren't other studios taking notes?!?)

Maybe it just takes an outsider, like an action director, to get the job done right. Spy Kids is about two former spies Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) who go off on one more mission and get themselves kidnapped by an evil kid's television show producer and weapons dealer Flooj (Alan Cummings). Now it is up the Cortez' children, Juni and Carmen, to save the day and to do that, they must become Spy Kids! Complete with snazzy gadgets that would make James Bond jealous, they avoid the bad guys and slowly work their way to Flooj's castle. Along the way, we all learn about the importance of family (well, there has to be some sort of moral).

Sound goofy? It sure is, but Spy Kids shows that goofiness does not mean stupid. This is a smart and clever movie, inventive in its jokes and action set pieces. The acting is terrific - especially Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara as Carmen and Juni. Where the hell did they find these kids?! They not only handle the action and dialogue convincingly, they also have a wicked sense of comic timing I would not have expected from actors that young. And unlike most movies about siblings, these two actually act like they're related - where you can go from arguing to playing to arguing to hitting to playing, all in the span of 30 seconds.

I was worried that the effectiveness of Spy Kids would be diminished by the increasingly over-the-top sequels. But luckily, this movie is just as clever as it was when I first watched it 10 years ago. I don't know what its place in movie history is going to be, but I certainly hope it lifts into the pantheon of children's classics. Its deserves it.

MVP: Clearly it was a casting coup to get Darryl Sabara and Alexa Vega. But I think I am going to have to give it to Alexa Vegas as Carmen, just because I think she had a harder role. Carmen is the annoying older sister, always forced to take care of an annoying brother she doesn't like very much. Her story arc into a family loving spy is terrific, particularly when she gets to share the scenes arguing with her grumpy uncle, Machete (Danny Trejo).

TRIVIA: The evil Thumb-Thumbs are based on drawings Robert Rodriguez did as a little kid.

BEST LINE: Gregorio: "He's emotional...uh, he's Latino."