Safe House

Rating:
Summary: My Opinion: Safe House
Review: Actually, I don't have the DVD...I just saw this movie last night on one of the Showtime channels.

I don't think much of most alleged "movies" which have been produced in the last 20 years or so. The definitive lack of acting ability in either the male or female "stars" is probably the greatest reason for this.

Special effects and "action" scenarios can only do so much to qualify as entertainment, even for young, juvenile viewers. For viewers who have seen much better products (those of us who are beyond the age of 30), there really should be more to something that calls itself a "theatrical product." (For the record, I am currently 55, nearly 56.)

I believe that Patrick Stewart provides these qualities in SAFE HOUSE. In fact, it was a movie that I was determined NOT to even watch (after the first few moments)...but I decided to stick around and was pleasantly surprised.

Different persons "see" different things in anything that is worthy of being called a "work of art", whether this is a book, a movie, a sculptor, a painting, etc. I believe that a true work of art does more than merely sate the senses with its artistry...it also prompts certain intellectual faculties in the viewer who is looking at the world with something more than the escapist boredom which afflicts so many.

What I see in SAFE HOUSE...is a movie that starts off looking like one thing...and transitions into several different entertainment and educational devices. At the conclusion of the movie, I decided that I would buy it because I think it merits what is "special" treatment by me.

This movie starts off as an apparent farce...the antics of PS cannot be taken seriously by anyone who watches the first 15 minutes or so.

Then, with (what I thought was) clever technique, the viewer is given the opportunity to educate himself/herself JUST A LITTLE BIT about a serious condition for many persons (Alheimer's Disease) and what each of us might possibly have to face as the final price for being successful at living: growing older to the point of resenting the loss of faculties which we have taken for granted for soooo long.

(It kind of reminded me of what I felt as I watched ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, without being like that movie at all.)

BTW: This is what a good dramatic effort is SUPPOSED to do...arouse the emotions AND the intellect of the viewer.

Arousing emotion itself does not take any particular talent...your wife, your husband, your children, etc...have done this all your life as they manipulate you to achieve their goals (smile). All of the "Lassie" movies do so. And so on....

But to arouse emotions AND to educate or stimulate the impulse to learn...this is no easy feat.

And then...just when I thought that I had this movie categoried...it changed again to an entertaining mystery, complete with the violence which attends such oftentimes.

The movie owes it's credibility to the efforts of the male star and the female star. The plot is good, but it takes true actors/actresses to pull it off.

I heartily recommend viewing this movie (in any version) to anyone who is looking for something more than the mundane escapism which treats us all as if we grew up with computer toys and know nothing at all about "real acting."

Louis

Rating:
Summary: I just really liked this movie
Review: I admit that I got this movie because of Patrick Stewart. I've watched him for years as Captain Picard and his range of character portrayals has always been diverse. That being said, Patrick Stewart does a great job as a man who knows too much while losing his memories. It's simply a really good movie to sit and enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Safe House --- surprisingly entertaining
Review: I must admit I thought this movie was going to be hokey when I purchased it. I purchased it strictly for Patrick Stewart since I've been a fan of his for years. Surprisingly, the movie is great and of course Stewart is great in it. I highly recommend the film to those who are also Stewart fans and to those who enjoy a film that is a little off beat and not too predictable. It is comical, suspenseful, and touching all at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Paranoia in the Hollywood Hills with Captain Picard
Review: I pulled SAFE HOUSE, a made-for-cable thriller, off the video rack solely because it stars Patrick Stewart. I mean, how bad could it be? In reality, it was much, much better than expected.

Stewart plays Mace Sowell, a reclusive widower living in the Hollywood Hills inside a house packed with more security systems and personal weaponry - pistols hidden in every room - than were ever aboard the Starship Enterprise. Mace claims to be a retired deep-cover agent for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), a fact that has put him in mortal danger for a reason he leaves unspecified. He's also obsessively disturbed by the political progress of a certain presidential candidate, who's apparently on his way to winning the Oval Office by a landslide. His fears are given little credence by his daughter, her husband, or the psychiatrist retained by the former to treat her Old Man's apparent delusions. The daughter has also just hired Andi, a perky young college graduate, to be Mace's live-in cook and housekeeper. Kimberly Wiliams plays Andi, short for Andrea, whose character displays a delicate beauty and charming appeal somewhat reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn.

It's been made perfectly clear to Andi that she's not Mace's employee to fire, so the cardinal delight of the film's first third is watching the curmudgeonly Sowell (with a capital "C") engage in a battle of wits with Andi for turf rights as she gamely carries out her assignment. Luckily, Andi is made of tough stuff. She cleanly fields the verbal and psychological abuse that Mace throws at her, and sometimes manages to give back as good as she gets. Eventually, they reach a working compromise and a certain friendship, at about which time Mace begins to display the symptoms of advancing Alzheimer's Disease, thus further hindering his ability to "stay sharp" and repel any assault made on his home or person.

From the beginning, any watcher of SAFE HOUSE will assume the truth of the adage that even paranoids have enemies. So, when will Mace's doomsday materialize? Even Andi begins to wonder as Sowell's convictions begin to draw her in. Stewart gives a performance that is alternately dramatic, witty, and poignant. Williams is positively beguiling. During the scene when she is first alone with Mace and struggling to establish a verbal rapport, her facial expressions as she deals with his silent recalcitrance are priceless. Although some things go unexplained, as to how the neighbors or the LAPD would tolerate Mace's live-fire pistol practice in his back yard, I enjoyed this film very much.

Rating:
Summary: Is it a serious comedy or a comic action flick?
Review: I recommend this movie for the craft that went into it. I also recommend it for the story and its unexpected sensitivity.

For the first half I thought it was very funny but took itsef too seriously. When Patrick Stewart, disguised (so as to be incognito while away from his home) as a construction worker, asked his shrink if he thought the shrink felt Stewart liked leaving his house dressed as one of the Village People, I thought I'd fall over laughing. Then it got quite serious and I started enjoying it on a totally different level.

Patrick Stewart claims, without any supporting evidence, to be a retired government spy who has fatal information regarding a current presidential hopeful. Fatal to Stewart and fatal to the candidate's future.

A housekeeper is hired by Stewart's daughter to avoid having him committed. After various humorous interviews, a sprightly young woman is hired and the war of nerves begins. The plot is complicated as Stewart realizes he is sucumbing to Alzheimer's. I particularly enjoyed where he tries to memorize the standard quizzes asked by shrinks so the level of disease advancement wouldn't be so apparent during his regular shrink visits.

The acting by all is superb. Stewart continues to show why he isn't a one-trick pony.

Yes there are a few unexplained occurrences but the movie is quirky enough to not be bothered by these little things. The ending is well done and one doesn't need those silly little text messages to explain what the director forgot to or how to put in the movie.

This is a fun movie, enjoy it!

Rating:
Summary: Is it a serious comedy or a comic action flick?
Review: I recommend this movie for the craft that went into it. I also recommend it for the story and its unexpected sensitivity.

For the first half I thought it was very funny but took itsef too seriously. When Patrick Stewart, disguised (so as to be incognito while away from his home) as a construction worker, asked his shrink if he thought the shrink felt Stewart liked leaving his house dressed as one of the Village People, I thought I'd fall over laughing. Then it got quite serious and I started enjoying it on a totally different level.

Patrick Stewart claims, without any supporting evidence, to be a retired government spy who has fatal information regarding a current presidential hopeful. Fatal to Stewart and fatal to the candidate's future.

A housekeeper is hired by Stewart's daughter to avoid having him committed. After various humorous interviews, a sprightly young woman is hired and the war of nerves begins. The plot is complicated as Stewart realizes he is sucumbing to Alzheimer's. I particularly enjoyed where he tries to memorize the standard quizzes asked by shrinks so the level of disease advancement wouldn't be so apparent during his regular shrink visits.

The acting by all is superb. Stewart continues to show why he isn't a one-trick pony.

Yes there are a few unexplained occurrences but the movie is quirky enough to not be bothered by these little things. The ending is well done and one doesn't need those silly little text messages to explain what the director forgot to or how to put in the movie.

This is a fun movie, enjoy it!

Rating:
Summary: Quirky
Review: I rented this movie at first because I like Patrick Stewart. I was a bit surpised that he would be in such a typical genre piece, but I figured it would be a harmless way to pass a slow Friday night at home. Well needless to say this movie soon turned out to be much more. Is he really rational? Is he a victim of mental decline? Is he paranoid? Is it a tale of political conspiracy or just a rather sad tale of a man who is going quickly into the darkness? I'm not telling, but believe me you won't be able to make up your mind until the very end.This story was risky. It goes around between tounge-in-cheek humor, pathos, suspense and mystery, and often such an ambitious undertaking turns into a mishmash, but not this one. This is a fun movie and a very good way to pass a slow evening. When it's over you'll find yourself amazed at how quickly time went by and you just might wonder if your suspicions and fears are all that irrational after all. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Patrick Stewart is a classic actor
Review: I was not sure if I would enjoy this movie, but it was a surprisingly well done movie. It is about an aging father who at one time was an agent in the gov't and is somewhat an eccentric person. Find out what happens when he is diagnosed with alzhiemer's! It is a thrilling movie with Patrick Stewart as the lead. He is truly one of the more brilliant actors out there, that is IMO not given credit where credit is due!

Rating:
Summary: Patrick Stewart is a classic actor
Review: I was not sure if I would enjoy this movie, but it was a surprisingly well done movie. It is about an aging father who at one time was an agent in the gov't and is somewhat an eccentric person. Find out what happens when he is diagnosed with alzhiemer's! It is a thrilling movie with Patrick Stewart as the lead. He is truly one of the more brilliant actors out there, that is IMO not given credit where credit is due!

Rating:
Summary: Keeps you on your toes
Review: Not being a "trekkie" fan, I was a little skeptical to watch this thinking it would be just another ho-hum picture. Not so, it kept me wondering if this guy was for real or just another "old-timer" losing it.... The suspense kept you rivited wondering what next. It is action packed and for those with youngsters, yes, there are some violent scenes but for the adult, it is entertaining and a really good movie. After seeing this I was impressed enough to go out and buy the video.....that to me, is enough of an endorsement...