"Man on a Ledge" review by Chris

When Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is falsely jailed for stealing a diamond, he concocts a way for his brother Joey (Jamie Bell) to prove his innocence by stealing the diamond he was framed for stealing in the first place. Nick places himself on the ledge of a hotel building to distract attention from the diamond heist across the street. The final result is an amalgam of heist and action films.

If the premise hasn't already cued you in, "Man on a Ledge" has set itself up for a complicated and easily confusing plot. The idea that a hand full of average citizens can pull off an "Oceans 11" style heist is completely absurd, though it doesn't instantly doom the movie. What does kill this film is the abundance of plot holes. Characters practically teleport from one building to another to make the heist hang together, and don't expect an "Oceans 11" style reveal-all ending as several of these little mysteries remain unexplained.

Scattered throughout the story are subplots about each of the side characters. Most are interesting, but none get hashed out or have a real conclusion. They simply add to the complexity of the plot without successfully adding depth. For instance, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) is chosen by Nick to talk him down from the ledge. She is reluctant because her last jumper didn't end well, but barely seems to blink before changing her mind and simply accepting Nick’s word that her instincts are solid.

Despite these problems, the movie does have several interesting aspects. The idea behind the movie is quite intriguing, if at times implausible, and actual heist is creatively staged. The climatic ending is well choreographed and has several thrilling moments, but these less mediocre moments are an ineffective salve to this gaping wound of a movie.

After first seeing "Man on a Ledge," I gave it an average rating. But the longer I’ve let the movie sink in, the more I realize what a mess it is. The redeeming aspects of this film are fleeting and the pitfalls are many.

One "Rare Diamond" out of Five

Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron

“The Adventures of Tintin” Review by Aaron

     Tintin’s trademark is his terrific tuft, and let me tell you, Spielberg made sure to get the hair just right in his telling of “The Adventures of Tintin.” And so there it is — bouncy, reddish in color and perfectly undisturbed as Tintin and company set out on the trail of a hidden treasure, lost for centuries.

     Opening on a marketplace where Tintin, voiced by Jamie Bell, is having a street artist draw a portrait of him, the film has a star studded voice cast and a visual style that makes it seem more like Herge’s Tintin comics than the originals themselves. Thomson and Thompson, the two bumbling detectives, voiced by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg respectively, are spot on as they ineptly try to apprehend a pickpocket that has stolen each of their wallets multiple times.

     As the plot moves forward, Tintin purchases a model of the 17th century man-o-war Unicorn from a vendor, which initiates a treasure hunt across multiple continents when he discovers a clue inside the mast.

     Spielberg’s Tintin interpretation is a mash up of two of the original Herge comics, “Crab With the Golden Claws,” in which Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis) is introduced, and “Secret of the Unicorn,” which introduces Haddock’s ancestral home, Marlinspike Hall.

     The film is a beautiful homage to the Herge creation from both an artistic and a comedic standpoint, and its grasp of Tintin villains is also impressive. In “The Secret of the Unicorn” comic book for instance, the movie’s main villain, Ivanovich Sakharine, voiced by Daniel Craig, is a minor character who I’ve always thought seemed sinister. He always looked way more evil than the Bird Brothers, and more like a traditional Tintin antagonist.

     But my complaint about the film is that it’s too over the top, action wise, even for Tintin. Having a tank driving around with a building on top of it, for example, or Haddock and Sakharine sword fighting with cargo loading cranes seems unnecessary.

     For those who know little of Tintin, this film will be a hit, but for fans the film is a mixed blessing. While the feel of the movie, the voice acting and the art are fantastic, the film often seems over the top and the storyline a little too tangled between the plots of “Secret of the Unicorn” and “Crab With the Golden Claws.”

Four Blistering Barnacles Out Of Five