Flags of our Fathers

Flags of our Fathers

Flags of our Fathers

Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, Jesse Bradford, Neal McDonough, Barry Pepper, Robert Patrick, Paul Walker, Jamie Bell, John Benjamin Hickey, John Slattery

Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. Battle scenes are intercut with footage of three of the soldiers - played by Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach -- who survived the battle going on a goodwill tour of the United States in order to sell war bonds. Many evening they are forced to reenact their famous pose, something each of them finds more and more difficult to do as they suffer from survivor's guilt. Eastwood frames the story by having one of the men's grown son (Tom McCarthy) interview his father's old comrades in order to find out more about what happened to his father. Eastwood followed this film with Letters from Iwo Jima, a second film about the battle of Iwo Jima, but told from the Japanese perspective.

Into the Blue

Into the Blue: Jessica Alba

Into the Blue

Cast: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott, Josh Brolin, James Frain, Tyson Beckford, Dwayne Adway

Stunning tropical scenery and gorgeous athletic movie stars may not make a movie great, but they sure don't hurt. Jared (Paul Walker, The Fast and the Furious) dreams of finding sunken treasure and making millions, but his girlfriend Sam (Jessica Alba, Fantastic Four, Sin City) is content with their poor but idyllic life in the Bahamas. Still, when they find artifacts from a 19th century pirate ship, she gets caught up in the excitement-until they also find a crashed plane full of smuggled cocaine. Naturally, someone's going to want that cocaine back... From there, Into the Blue is a surprisingly well-plotted action movie, unpredictable in its specifics if familiar in its broader outlines. Even more pleasant, the action itself stays plausible and genuinely engaging throughout. Jared seems able to hold his breath for a preternaturally long time, but aside from that the movie is meticulous about the dangers and threats the characters face and is all the stronger for it. Add to this its unabashed ogling of Alba and Walker (both of whom are astonishing physical specimens) and you have a solid romp. Also featuring Scott Caan (Ocean's Eleven), Tyson Beckford (Biker Boyz), and Josh Brolin (Flirting With Disaster) as a slimy rival treasure hunter.

Running Scared

Running Scared: Paul Walker

Running Scared

Cast: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Karel Roden, Johnny Messner

Joey, a low-level mobster, runs into trouble when a gun he was supposed to dispose of winds up in the wrong hands. After a drug deal results in the deaths of some dirty cops, Joey needs to get the gun out of circulation to cover the crime. When his neighbor's young son gets hold of the gun and uses it to kill his abusive father, Joey must find the kid and the weapon while evading the mob and police out for revenge.