What a wonderful summer we have had for movies! I think the absolute best movies. From the climatic finale of the beloved ‘Harry Potter’ series to the heartwarming book turned heartwarming movie, ‘The Help’ to the unpredictable romantic comedy ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ — I thought summer 2011 was coming to a nice close. Just when you think this season couldn’t get any better, ‘The Debt’ is released and it’s a movie that shocks and astounds.

 I wanted to see ‘The Debt’ because of my love for Helen Mirren, an actress that only grows more talented and beautiful with age. I was also excited to see 2011’s breakout star Jessica Chastain (‘The Help’ and ‘The Tree of Life’) when I first saw the trailer.

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The film begins in 1997, when three former Israeli secret service agents (played by Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hinds) are being celebrated for capturing and killing a horrible Nazi war criminal about 30 years prior. Two of the agents accept the accolades, another doesn’t feel comfortable being in the public eye.

Most of  the story takes place back in the ‘60s when the young trio (played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington) plans and then finally executes their dangerous mission. The intense complications that follow brings the trio together and relentlessly pushes them into a love triangle.

This film is structured by director John Madden (‘Shakespeare in Love’) so that the audience sees two actors play each role. The young characters are motivated and charged by their mission, while the older characters live with an obvious weight on their shoulders caused by a secret they have carried ever since. When you see Jessica Chastain, you see the shadow of Helen Mirren and vice versa. It is a true success when two actors can mimic each other and play off each the other’s scenes.

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Something must be seriously wrong with “Killshot,” the straight-to-video flick starring the resurgent Mickey Rourke. The movie features not just Rourke, but rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Diane Lane, Rosario Dawson and Thomas Jane – reputable actors, all.

And it’s under the direction of John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”), working from an Elmore Leonard story. And it still rocketed past every movie theater save one in Arizona earlier this year, netting a measly $18,000?

The film, heading to DVD May 26, deserved a better fate. (more…)

What do a Hall of Fame football coach and broadcaster, an overnight British vocal sensation, and several hundred thousand American taxpayers have in common?  Quite a bit, as it turned out last week.  Not because any of them had anything to do with each other specifically.  Rather, it is what each of them represents individually and the disdain they draw from their misdirected critics.

After 30 years in the TV broadcast booth, John Madden announced his retirement from professionally commenting on a game he once professionally coached.  Even a casual or non-fan can review Madden’s resume and appreciate his accomplishments and lifetime commitment to the game of football.  He was a high school and college stand-out player.   Though his professional career as a player was cut short due to injury, Madden spent nearly 20 years as a college and professional coach before spending the next three decades on all four major television networks.  If you’re doing the math, that’s over 50 years of football for the 73 year old.  He won a Super Bowl and never had a losing season as a head coach.  Not to mention the endorsement deals and the multi-million dollar football video game franchise bearing his name. (more…)