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Here's a look at the movie I saw this week. (I know, not a huge selection. But as a bonus, I've included a mini film selection rant).


The Losers
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short, Jason Patric, and Chris Evans
Quick Take: This is actually based on a comic book from Vertigo, though there's probably not too many out there familiar with it. It also smacks a bit of the 1980s series "The A-Team," which is set to be adapted into a film on June 11. The plot centers on a group of elite soldiers who are framed for an atrocity they tried to prevent and forced to go underground to clear their name. The plot is fairly predictable, but this isn't a film that's designed to have a tough to crack plot. There is a breezy quality to the film, which doesn't take itself too seriously. The script from Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights," "The Kingdom") and James Vanderbilt offers plenty of humorous moments. Evans offers plenty of humor in his role, Short plays a great straight man in a number of sequences and Patric plays a villain that's just quirky enough to be entertaining. There's plenty of solid action sequences as well. Again, you just don't want to dwell on the plot too deeply.
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Mini-Rant on film selection:
Last year, Disney unveiled it's documentary "Earth" as a part of the Earth-Day celebration. I didn't know what to make of it, but I headed to the theater when it opened to watch with my sister. I was fascinated, touched, entertained, and moved. It was a great film that I snapped up on Blu-Ray when it came out. So when I saw that this year Disney was releasing another documentary, "Oceans," to coincide with Earth Day I was excited.

I was at a conference on Earth Day (Thursday, April 22), but when I returned on Saturday I planned to look the film up. I eagerly flung open the listings for Paso Robles only to discover — it isn't playing here. In fact, the only place it's playing is in San Luis Obispo. This isn't the first time this has happened.

I hope that when the new theaters open in Atascadero our movie selection in the North County will improve, but I'm not counting on it. There is more to films than the commercialized dreck that gets churned out every week, and there is nothing wrong with a little variety. I like independent films. I like religious releases. I would love to see some documentaries. I hope we find a way to get a wider variety of films opened in this area because it would be nice not to have to travel to SLO every time a meaningful film is released.

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