Reviews and More

I was lucky enough to receive a Burn Notice Press Kit containing the Season 2 premiere about a week ago. I wanted to watch it right away, but since the Season 1 finale aired way, way back on September 20, 2007, I figured it would be better to watch the last few eps of S1 just to refresh my memory about what was going on.

It’s a good thing I did that, because the S2 premiere, called “Breaking and Entering”, picks up right where S1 left off. Namely, Michael is sitting in his car in the back of an 18-wheeler waiting to find out what’s going to happen to him next.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about this episode since it hasn’t aired yet (I’ll save that for my recap, which will be posted Friday morning), so let me just say that it was every bit as entertaining and engrossing as the better eps from Season 1 were. We see Michael use his ingenuity and past experience as a spy to help him get out of tight situations; we meet a new character who is obviously going to play a major role throughout the season; and of course we reunite with series regulars Sam, Fiona, and Madeline.

All in all, “Breaking and Entering” was a fantastic way to kick off the season! Be sure to tune into USA Network on Thursday July 10 at 10pm/9C to catch the action, and check back here on Friday morning for my detailed recap!

With a wide range of other big summer releases to choose from, I hadn’t really given Wanted much thought. Based on previews alone, it didn’t look like my kind of film at all. However, I ended up seeing it when I missed the start time of my first choice a few nights ago, and while I was right in thinking that Wanted wouldn’t find its way to my list of favorites, it actually wasn’t that bad.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Wesley Gibson (played by James McAvoy) is a doormat of a guy who meekly accepts all the crap that everyone in his life shovels his way. He simply nods and apologizes whenever overbearing boss Janice (Lorna Scott) screams at him for perceived poor performance, and he also pretends not to know that his best friend Barry (Chris Pratt) is sleeping with his girlfriend Cathy (Kristen Hager).

Wesley’s apathetic approach to life changes one night when he visits a pharmacy to refill his prescription for anxiety meds. That’s when an assassin named Cross (Thomas Kretschmann) takes aim at Wesley’s head. Fortunately, an equally skilled assassin named Fox (Angelina Jolie) pulls Wesley to safety just in time, and takes him on a wild ride through the city in an attempt to evade Cross. The two escape to a textiles factory, which is actually the headquarters of an organization called The Fraternity.

A man named Sloan (Morgan Freeman) explains to Wesley that he’s actually the son of a so-called “super assassin” who possessed incredible abilities that include jumping across city blocks, running amazingly fast, and even controlling the path of a bullet after it’s fired. Sloan further says that Cross murdered Wesley’s father, and that it’s up to Wesley to avenge his father’s death. Fortunately, Wesley acquired all of his father’s skills along with his DNA, so now it’s just a matter of undergoing some intensive training in order to develop these skills.

The rest of the film then details Wesley’s complete transformation from apathetic loser to badass assassin as he prepares for his showdown with Cross. Along the way, viewers are treated to numerous action sequences, and even an unexpected (well, at least to those who haven’t read the comics) double cross.

My Reaction: Obviously, Wanted is the kind of movie where suspension of disbelief is necessary right from the beginning. It would therefore be senseless to talk about what actually happens in the action scenes, or about the super assassins’ abilities, or about the magical healing wax, or…. well, you get the picture, right? There’s just a lot of stuff that you’re asked to accept at face value, and really, that’s the only way to enjoy a movie like this.

I’m slowly becoming a fan of James McAvoy, as he’s showing a definite ability to take on a wide variety of roles. I thought he was perfect as the weak loser at the beginning, and by the end, I almost accepted the fact that he could be a smart, savvy, and dangerous assassin.

Angelina Jolie, on the other hand, was incredibly robotic as Fox. It seems as though whenever she’s in an action flick, she plays the exact same character over and over again. I mean, is there a discernible difference between Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), Jane Smith (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), and Fox in Wanted? I don’t think so!

And, I had to laugh out loud when I read that the screenwriter rewrote the script “extensively” to suit the material to Jolie when he learned that she was attached to the project. Was there anything about the Fox character that only Jolie (and not some other actress) could have done? Nope. Maybe the screenwriter deliberately made the character more wooden to match Jolie’s other roles. Who knows, though.

Overall, I thought Wanted was a decent summer movie. I didn’t totally love it, but it was very watchable and was even entertaining in several places. I give it 6.5 stars out of 10.