Cinema Sleeper - Touchback

It's no secret that I watch a lot of movies.  Some big, some classic, and some that I like to refer to as "Cinema Sleepers", that never got much in the way of press or box office, but are definitely worth a view.  This Week's Cinema Sleeper is a wonderful family-friendly pic called "Touchback".

It's the story of an aging High School Football hero who was injured on the final play of his final high school game, an injury that ended his football career.  He's left without the college scholarship or the way to get out of the small town, and as the years go by, he becomes increasingly bitter and desperate.  After another trial, he becomes so distraught that he attempts to take his own life.  Before he is able to do that, he is given the opportunity to re-live those high school days and review his choices. Would he do it all the same way, or would he do it differently and try to change his fate? That is the key question he has to face.

The movie is not without it's faults. Chief among them is the casting of 30-something actors in the High School roles.  They definitely look their ages.  But it's sweet, it's thought-provoking, it's got sports action, and it's got Kurt Russell. And what's not to like about that!

Skyfall

I'm not a huge fan of the James Bond franchise.  Although I've seen several of them, they've just never really floated my boat that much.  They're a little cheesy, not to mention campy, and they usually fail to make much sense.  

Now that I've finally got that off my chest, I have to say, that I absolutely adored "Skyfall", the most recent entry in the Bond series.  Daniel Craig, as Bond, was awesome, and the story really worked for me.  In this installment, an Evil Genius and his nefarious henchmen steal a list of MI6 agents and proceed to release the list to other nefarious types, who proceed to "off" said agents.  Not only that, but Evil Genius, who is a former MI6 agent, has it in for the MI6 Spymaster "M", played by Judi Dench, who he feels is responsible for his tortured and messed up life.  Bond has to try and stop the Evil Genius and save "M" in the process.

The acting is great, Daniel Craig is hot (in the most lustful sense of the word), the special effects are pretty incredible, and we get to see some Bond backstory, to give us an idea where he came from and how and why "M" recruited him.  Finally, a Bond movie that makes sense!

Oh yeah - make sure you are in your seat for the Opening Credits.  They are visually stunning, and there's a terrific song by British pop songstress Adele that ought to win the Oscar for original song.