Deepwater Horizon - Movie Review

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Kate Hudson, Dylan O'Brien, Ethan Suplee, Brad Leland and J.D. Evermore.
Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan & Matthew Sand.
Directed by Peter Berg.

★★★½

This is a solid, straightforward effort as the star (Mark Wahlberg) and director (Peter Berg) of Lone Survivor are reunited to tell the story of the 12 hours that led up to the explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig that led to the biggest oil disaster in history.

It's white-collar vs. blue-collar. Kurt Russell is Jimmy Harrell, the head of the rig and the one who wants to make sure all of the safety tests have been conducted. John Malkovich is Vidrine, the BP exec who feels like they're behind schedule and they don't really need to do all of the tests. While they're the main conflict, the movie also has us get to know Mike (Mark Wahlberg) and Andrea (Gina Rodriguez) and a few other crew members so that we care about these characters before the inevitable disaster hits.

Once it does, it becomes The Towering Inferno at Sea. Berg has already demonstrated himself to be a solid action director, and he makes the stakes harrowing. A few crew members did die that night, and unless you studied the backstory before seeing the movie, you won't which ones might be among them.

At the same time, this does feel respectful to the people who were involved in this tragedy. No Jack & Rose love story thrown in.

Something Borrowed - DVD Review

Starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesford, Steve Howey, Ashley Williams and Geoff Pierson.
Directed by Luke Greenfield.

★½

Do women friends really get together and do dance numbers with each other in their living rooms?  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a chick flick where the two or three of them just start dancing to an oldie.  The oldie in question here in Salt N Pepa's "Push It".

As likeable an actress as Ginnifer Goodwin is, I couldn't feel too bad for her doormat Rachel.  She and Darcy (Kate Hudson) have been best friends their whole lives, and Rachel is the sweet mousy friend, the Marcie to Darcy's Peppermint Patty, the Milhouse to her Bart.  Darcy is loud and selfish and always gets her way, and so we're supposed to root against her when she gets engaged to Dex (Colin Egglesford), a bland model of a love interest who was friends with Rachel in law school.

Rachel and Dex were meant to be together, because the soundtrack says so.  Darcy's the obnoxious shrew that we're supposed to root against, but eventually we dislike Rachel for allowing Darcy to steamroll her at every turn, for Rachel to not have a spine even though several moments present themselves.  And Dex is just as passive and spineless as Rachel.

Watching all of this from his wry platonic perch is Ethan (John Krasinski), the lone bright-spot of reason in the movie who is incredulous that this love-triangle is going on but no one will admit it. Krasinski is an MVP here, a life-saver.

Just when I thought the movie might make some brave, interesting choice, it dodges and settles on the stereotype.  Krasinski and Goodwin deserve better.  Hudson, well, lately there's no more sure-fire guarantee the movie sucks than to have her in it. I expect her to play Adam Sandler's love interest in something eventually.