Act Of Valor

Calificación :
Clasificación : Accion | Aventura | Suspenso
Duración : 110 Min

Director : Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh
Escritor : Kurt Johnstad

Actores Principales : Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez y Nestor Serrano
IMDB : Act Of Valor (2008)

In the Philippines, a terrorist kills the American ambassador, his son, and dozens of children, using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at a private school. The mastermind, a Chechen terrorist named Abu Shabal, escapes and returns to Russia.

In Costa Rica, two CIA operatives, Walter Ross (Nestor Serrano) and Morales (Roselyn Sánchez) meet to consolidate intelligence about their target, a drug smuggler named Mikhail "Christo" Troykovich. Christo's men kill Ross and capture Morales, bringing her to a riverside compound. Christo orders her to be tortured but kept alive until she tells the smugglers what she knows.

At Coronado, California, the members of Bandito Platoon, SEAL Team Seven are at home. Lieutenant Roark confides to Chief Dave that his wife is pregnant, and has the entire team spend time together with their families until their next deployment. SEAL Team Seven is then deployed to Costa Rica to exfiltrate Morales.

The seven Navy SEALs insert into the jungle via HALO and hold position outside the compound all night. At dawn, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) are inserted down the river from the compound on-board Special Operations Craft - Riverine (SOC-R) and deploy a drone that identifies the guards and a large group of enemies camped down the road. The SEALs approach the compound, hear Morales being tortured, and decide to enter the compound early. Rorke and Weimy, the team sniper, provide cover for the other five, led by Dave, who conduct room-clearing, engaging several enemy guards. SEAL operative Mikey is shot in the eye, blinding him and knocking him unconscious. The SEALs extract Morales, escaping with her and recovering a cell phone full of the information she had gathered. However, the gunfight alerts the enemy quick reaction force down the road, who drive toward the camp. The SEALs commandeer an enemy truck and exfiltrate. The hot pursuit forces them to revert to a tertiary extraction point, where the SOC-R boats and SWCCs extract the team, and shoot up the enemy trucks and soldiers with miniguns.

Cristo and Shabal meet in Ukraine. Cristo knows the CIA is watching him and informs Shabal that subordinates will complete their project. Shabal is enraged, but goes to the factory that Cristo specified, where bomb vests are being assembled. These use plastic explosives and ceramic ball bearings to work like a claymore mine, can evade metal detectors, and are thin enough to be worn under any clothing without notice.

On the amphibious assault ship, Senior Chief Petty Officer Miller, the operations officer of the SEAL team, informs Rorke that Mikey will survive but has lost his sight in one eye. In addition, the intelligence they recovered confirms that Shabal and Cristo were working together. Shabal, an old-school Muslim terrorist, seeks to bring the jihad to the United States, while Cristo is not really a drug dealer, but a smuggler, with routes and contacts for smuggling people into the United States. Two of the SEALs, Ajay and Ray, are sent to Somalia, where an arms transfer involving Shabal is taking place. The remaining SEALs, composed of Rorke, Dave, Sonny, and Weimy, stay in the U.S. in case the terrorists make it in. Miller himself has been reassigned to SEAL Team Four, hunting for Cristo somewhere on the oceans. Lieutenant Rorke gives a letter to Dave in case he is killed.

The two SEALs in Somalia confirm the presence of Shabal and sixteen terrorists, and identify his plane. They track the plane to an island off Baja California, where the team assaults. They successfully attack and secure the island, killing eight terrorists. Rorke is nearly killed by an RPG that strikes his vest directly in the chest but does not detonate.

Meanwhile, in the South Pacific, Cristo is hiding with his family aboard their yacht, guarded by gunboats and mercenaries. SEAL Team Four identifies the yacht with satellite imaging and deploys several helicopters and gunboats. They quickly kill the guards, capture the yacht, and capture Christo and his family. Senior Chief Miller interrogates Christo. Threatened with permanent separation from his family, Cristo reveals his connection with Shabal and his plans to have his sixteen fighters detonate their vests at strategic points throughout the United States, causing a panic and doing economic damage surpassing that following the September 11 attacks. But Christo says he is powerless to stop the attack.

The SEALs are informed that not all of their targets were neutralized and that half, including Shabal, are en route to the United States, via tunnels underneath a milk factory. They are ordered to link up with Mexican Special Forces and neutralize the remaining targets. U.S. Marines relieve the SEALs, who then travel on to Mexico meeting the Mexican Special Forces. The Mexican leader informs the SEALs that the assault will be extremely dangerous, as the smugglers are supported by the well-armed local drug cartel, and that a "Black Hawk Down"–style stalemate would have political consequences.

The SEALs and Mexican forces assault the factory, hiding in dump trucks. The combined forces cordon off the factory while Rorke, the Mexican officer, Chief Dave, Sonny, and several other SEALs led by Weimy clear most of the factory. The Mexican officer is wounded and the SEALs are nearly killed as the explosive vest of a suicide bomber detonates. As they reach the tunnels, an enemy fighter drops an F1 fragmentation grenade into the room. Only Lieutenant Rorke sees the grenade land. Realizing his team cannot escape the room in time, he dives on the grenade and it detonates, mortally wounding him. Dave pursues the terrorists alone, while Sonny tends to Rorke. Dave catches up to the terrorists as they try to escape through the tunnels, but shoots seven of them as they flee into the entrance. However, Shabal appears and fires nearly thirty rounds from an AK-47 into Dave, destroying his weapon in addition to wounding him critically. Dave draws his sidearm and kills the eighth suicide bomber as he runs into the tunnel. Shabal approaches Dave and prepares to execute him, but is killed by Sonny.

At home, Rorke is given a military funeral with full honors, while Dave survived his injuries. The SEALs pay their respects, punching the gold SEAL tridents that signify them as SEALs into Rorke's coffin. It is then revealed that Dave's narration throughout the movie was a written letter meant for Rorke's son, explaining the valor of the father he will never know, and ending with the poem "Live Your Life" by Tecumseh. The film ends with a dedication to every U.S. Navy SEAL killed in action since 9/11, and a list of their names.

E --- City Of Ember

Calificación : 6.4/10
Clasificación : Aventura | Familia | Fantasia
Duración : 90 Min

Director : Gil Kenan
Escritor : Jeanne Duprau (Novela) | Caroline Thompson (Guión)

Actores Principales : Saoirse Ronan, Toby Jones y Bill Murray
IMDB : City of Ember (2008)

In the midst of a nuclear war, the Builders of the underground "City of Ember" place secret instructions to future generations in a small box, timed to open in 200 years. The box is thrust into the hands of the mayor of the underground complex. Each mayor, in turn, passes the box onto his or her successor. When the box has 47 more years left on the time-lock, the mayor holding the box dies suddenly. The significance of the box had not been explained to anyone else, and the mayor's family places it in junk-filled closet. When it finally reaches year 200, the time-lock clicks open, but the event goes unnoticed.

For generations, the people of Ember have lived in a huge underground complex built as a refuge for humanity. It is built into a vast cavern so high that it is filled with regular-sized buildings. Far above the tops of the buildings are banks of floodlights that light the city during the day and provide light for the greenhouses. The lights are powered by a massive generator. Now it is year 247 and Ember threatens to fall into darkness as the generator begins to fail. Blackouts are occurring with increasing frequency and last longer each time. There's also a major shortage of canned goods and light bulbs.

At a rite of passage for all graduating students called Assignment Day, the mayor (Bill Murray) stands before the graduating students as they choose, by lottery, what their occupations will be. Lina (Saoirse Ronan), a young girl dreaming to be a messenger, is assigned "Pipeworks Laborer" and Doon (Harry Treadaway) is assigned "Messenger". The two swap occupations. Lina goes home to find her grandmother searching for something in the closet, which turns out to be the lost metal box. Unable to piece the torn papers inside the box together, Lina nevertheless resolves to decipher their meaning and enlists Doon's help. As blackouts become more frequent, Lina and Doon realize that the information inside the box could lead to the salvation of Ember. Racing against time, the two follow the clues, cleverly maneuvering around corrupt politicians.

During their flight, it turns out that their parents had once joined in an attempt to make their way beyond Ember - an attempt which ended when Lina's father drowned after their tunneler hit an underground river. The pair realizes the document is a set of instructions on how to escape the city, and they search for the hidden exit. They also discover that the mayor has been hoarding canned food in a secret room. When they report the theft, they are declared traitors. Now on the run from the mayor's police, the pair puts their escape plan into action. They fetch Poppy, Lina's younger sister, and follow the instructions, which leads them to the surface where they see and feel the natural air and sky for the first time. At first, they despair, because it is dark and they assume that they haven't escaped, but they do not realize it is nighttime. In the morning, as the sun rises, they gaze in amazement at the glowing sun and blue sky. They then tie a message of their discovery to a rock and drop it back down to the city, where it is found by Doon's father (Tim Robbins).

E --- Doomsday

Calificación : 6.0/10
Clasificación : Accion | Sci-Fi
Duración : 105 Min

Director : Neil Marshall
Escritor : Neil Marshall

Actores Principales : Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins y Alexander Siddig
IMDB : Doomsday(2008)

In 2008, the Reaper virus infects Scotland, so the country is walled off by the British government. A Scottish woman begs retreating soldiers to take her injured little girl with them. Her daughter has an eye injury but is healthy otherwise. The mother (Emma Cleasby) gives her daughter (Christine Tomlinson) an envelope just as the soldiers' helicopter lifts off.

The quarantine is deemed a success, with the remaining Scottish population and the virus apparently dying off, and the British Government is considering taking off the wall, but still, they reschedule it until the last infected person is dead.

In 2035, the virus now reappears in London, killing several people across town. Prime Minister Hatcher (Alexander Siddig) and his righthand man Canaris (David O'Hara) share with domestic security chief Bill Nelson (Bob Hoskins) news of survivors in Scotland, and they believe a cure may exist. They order him to send a team into Scotland to find medical researcher Dr. Kane (Malcolm McDowell), who was working on a cure when Scotland was quarantined. Nelson chooses Major Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), the little girl from Scotland now grown up, to lead the team. She has a cybernetic eye that can be removed and used remotely for weapon aiming and video playback.

North of the wall, while searching for any survivors, Sinclair and her team are ambushed by a cannibalistic punk gang. Some team members are killed, while Sinclair and Dr Talbot (Sean Pertwee) are captured. Sergeant Norton (Adrian Lester) and Dr Stirling (Darren Morfitt) manage to escape the attack. Sinclair is interrogated and tortured by the gang's leader, Sol (Craig Conway). Dr Talbot is barbecued alive and eaten by the cannibalistic gang. During the "feast", Sinclair escapes from her cell and discovers Kane's daughter, Cally (MyAnna Buring), in the next cell. Freed by Sinclair, Cally leads her to a waiting train manned by her friend Joshua (Martin Compston), while Norton and Stirling meet up with them while they escape.

They take the train into the mountains and take a shortcut through a hidden underground military facility, to the castle where Kane and his followers live. They are surrounded by Kane's medieval soldiers, Joshua is killed, and everyone else surrenders. Kane tells Sinclair that the survivors are naturally immune and that he has been warring with Sol, who is actually his son. There is no cure. Sinclair defeats Kane's executioner, Telamon (Henie Bosman), in an open arena and her teammates help her escape. They retreat to the underground facility and find a Bentley in storage to drive back to the quarantine wall and home, although Norton is killed covering their escape.

In London, political leaders plan to seal off the "hot spot" where the virus is spreading. Canaris convinces Hatcher to let the infected die off before sharing any cure found by Sinclair's team. That way the population would be controllable if there is a future infection. Although the government leaders are isolated, an infected man gets past security and infects Hatcher. Knowing that he has no future, Hatcher commits suicide and Canaris takes over as Acting Prime Minister.

In Scotland, Sinclair, Cally, and Stirling are in a high speed car chase with Sol's gang. Sol attempts to hijack the Bentley, but while he is clinging to the roof Sinclair ploughs the car through a bus, decapitating him. Using a satellite phone, Sinclair calls in a government gunship and hands over the cure: Cally, whose immune blood can be replicated into a vaccine. Canaris, who came with the gunship, shares his plan to withhold the cure for political reasons and invites Sinclair back to London.

She chooses to stay and goes to find her old home, using the address on the old envelope her mother had left her. Nelson meets her there since she gave him the envelope before she left. Sinclair shows Nelson the video of her conversation with Canaris, recorded with her cybernetic eye. Nelson takes it back to London and has it aired, exposing Canaris' plan to hold back the cure. Sinclair returns to the location where she and her team were first attacked by Sol's gang and holds up Sol's severed head. She is cheered as their new leader.

Atonement

Calificación :
Clasificación : Drama | Misterio | Romance
Duración : 123 Min

Director : Joe Wright
Escritor : Ian McEwan (Novela) | Christopher Hampton (Guión)

Actores Principales : Keira Knightley, James McAvoy y Brenda Blethyn
IMDB : Atonement (2007)

La historia transcurre en el día más caluroso del verano, en la Inglaterra de 1935, en el periodo previo a la Segunda Guerra Mundial y en el centro de una familia de clase alta. Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) de 13 años, pasa otra mañana aburrida de sus vacaciones en su casa junto a su familia sin más remedio que convivir con su hermana Cecilia (Keira Knightley) y sus primos recién llegados Pier, Jack y Lola, ante la desprocupación de su madre, Emily.

Un día antes, la familia recibió noticias de que León Tallis, hermano mayor de Cecilia, quien además es el hijo predilecto de la familia, llega de viaje junto a un amigo, Paul Marshall, un empresario millonario en la industria del chocolate, para pasar también el resto de las vacaciones junto a la familia de Leon. Debido a la tan esperada llegada de Leon, Cecilia cumple sin mucho ánimo, con el encargo de llevar flores a la habitación de Paul, como una cortesía y muestra de grata bienvenida. Pero al ver a Robert Turner (James McAvoy), hijo de uno de los trabajadores de la familia y el protegido de su padre, por la ventana decide llevar un florero a llenar con agua de la fuente en los jardines de la casa, con el pretexto de pasar junto a él y hacer algo de plática "casual". Pero todo se arruina con los comentarios de Robbie sobre la llegada del millonario amigo de Leon, por el cual Cecilia "parece" interesada, pues su padre lo describe como muy encantandor. Cecilia empieza a sentirse irritada con él sin razón aparente, ésta le echa en cara el que su padre pague la universidad de Robbie pero él se defiende argumentando que lo pagará todo, haciendo sentirse culpable a Cecilia, molestándose de nuevo consigo misma.

Intentando romper la tensión, ya en la fuente, Robbie se ofrece a ayudarla pero ésta se niega, forcejeando con el carácter obstinado de Cecilia, rompiendo el florero y causando que una pieza cayera al agua. Después de querer darle una paliza a Robbie, y de éste advertirle a Cecilia de los trozos de cerámica en el suelo, ella desiste, y Robbie ve cómo ésta se deshace de su ropa, quedándose sólo en ropa interior para después entrar en la fuente y buscar la pieza que cayó dentro. Una vez fuera, por mero impulso y sin haber apagado su enojo todavía, Cecilia se queda estática frente a Robbie, con la escasa ropa completamente empapada antes de caer en la cuenta del estado en el que estaba y vestirse rápidamente para después dirigirse a la casa con paso rápido, avergonzada. Al quedarse solo, Robbie se acerca y suavemente toca el agua tibia que segundos antes tocó la piel de Cecilia, haciendo notar el estado en el que ésta lo dejó después de tal escena, y obviando su atracción por ella. Briony, de 13 años, hermana menor de Cecilia, está totalmente entregada a la literatura y goza de una gran imaginación, además de poseer la característica de estar siempre en el lugar y momento menos adecuado y enterarse de cosas que tal vez no hubiera querido saber. Es por esta característica que observa desde la ventana de su recamara lo que sucede entre Cecilia y Robbie, causando en ella asombro y algo de morbo que le hacen imaginar malas intenciones de parte de Robbie.

La parte donde comienzan a forjarse los problemas es cuando Briony descubre a su prima en mitad del campo y cómo un hombre huye de la escena, dando la sensación de que Lola ha sido violada. Briony asegura que ha visto a la persona que lo hizo; éste no es otro si no Robbie.

Tres años y medio más tarde, Robbie sale de la cárcel, pero para entonces las vidas de los tres habran cambiado para siempre. Robbie y Cecilia se convertirán en víctimas de la intrigante imaginacion de la niña.

American Psycho

Calificación :
Clasificación : Crimen | Drama
Duración : 102 Min

Director : Mary Harron
Escritor : Bret Easton Ellis (Novela) | Mary Harron (Guión)

Actores Principales : Christian Bale, Justin Theroux y Josh Lucas
IMDB : American Psycho (2001)

El protagonista, Patrick Bateman, tiene veintisiete años y vive en el edificio American Gardens, entre la riqueza y sofisticación de la alta sociedad de Manhattan y Wall Street. Cultiva su cuerpo y apariencia, prestando gran atención a los objetos, las marcas y el diseño. Tiene novia y amante. Graduado en Harvard y con un máster en la Escuela de Negocios de Harvard, es vicepresidente del departamento de fusiones y adquisiciones en Pierce & Pierce. También es un asesino en serie, caníbal y practicante de sexo ultraviolento. Siente especial predilección por asesinar prostitutas jóvenes, aunque también comete deleznables crímenes con mendigos, artistas callejeros, homosexuales e inclusive niños. Sus principales crímenes son descritos con escalofriantes detalles; también, sus obsesiones (ya sea acerca de la tecnología, el vestuario o los cantantes y grupos musicales de moda) son expuestas en forma muy prolija.

Bateman se siente vacío existencialmente y rechaza toda posibilidad de comprometerse sentimentalmente con las mujeres; las desprecia profundamente y sólo las contempla en clave sexual o como objeto de su psicopatía. Rechaza el amor, pero en cierto momento de vacío existencial, declara para si mismo: "sólo quiero que me quieran". A pesar de su desprecio por la vida y el dolor ajeno se abstiene de asesinar a las tres únicas personas que le profesan un amor verdadero: su amante Courtney, su colega homosexual Luis Carruters y su secretaria Jean; esta última, llega a descolocarlo con su bondad e inocencia frente al mal que él representa.

Al término de la novela se revela que la mayor parte de los crímenes del protagonista son producto de su imaginación, aunque se deja abierta la posibilidad de que algunos sí los habría cometido realmente (un taxista lo reconoce como asesino de uno de sus colegas, en base a un retrato que circula en el centro de la ciudad). También, en una especie de epifanía final, acepta el amor sincero de Jean, aunque se sienta incapaz de devólverselo y con el temor de envolverla en su psicopatía.

La novela no sólo describe las andanzas de Bateman, si no que es el vehículo de una fuerte crítica social al modo de vida de los yuppies de finales de los 80, resaltando sus peores aspectos: el cultivo de la apariencia a cualquier costo, el exitismo económico y materialista como aspiración suprema, las relaciones humanas superficiales (es habitual la confusión de nombres entre los personajes), el sexismo y el narcisismo que inducen al menosprecio hacia las mujeres, un clasismo exacerbado que conlleva el rechazo visceral hacia los mendigos, los afroamericanos y los artistas, el consumo habitual de diferentes drogas, entre las que destaca la cocaína.