"12 Strong" Review by Tim Hellman

'12 STRONG': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A war film about CIA Paramilitary and U.S. Special Forces who were sent to Afghanistan, immediately after the September 11th attacks, to combat Taliban soldiers there. It's based on the non-fiction book 'Horse Soldiers' by Doug Stanton, and it was scripted by Ted Tally and Peter Craig. Sophomore feature filmmaker Nicolai Fuglsig directed the movie, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Navid Negahban, Michael Pena, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, William Fichtner and Rob Riggle. It's received mixed reviews from critics, and it's expected to be a modest hit at the Box Office as well. I found it to be pretty dull and uninvolving.

The story begins with the September 11th terrorist attacks being witnessed on TV by Captain Mitch Nelson (Hemsworth), and his family. Mitch is eager to retaliate against those responsible, and he begs his superior officers for his Captain position back, in order to do so. Mitch, along with Chief Warrant Officer Cal Spencer (Shannon), Sergeant First Class Sam Diller (Pena), and other U.S. soldiers, are then sent to Afghanistan to attack the Taliban forces there. Once there, they partner with the leader of the alliance, General Abdul Rashid Dostum (Negahban), and quickly start to plot their revenge.

The movie looks like a fun war action flick, and I like the premise to it, but for me the film is just way too boring. I couldn't even get into the action scenes (which I'll admit happens a lot for me with recent action flicks), but the whole story, and character development, is pretty weak and uninvolving. The performances are pretty dull and uninspired too, and it's definitely a talented cast. With the exception of Navid Negahban (he's a scene stealer in it), most of the actors seem to be just there for their paychecks. I could not wait for the movie to be over, for most of it's 2 hour and 10 minute running time, but I'll admit that I'm sure some action junkies, and war film fans, will probably enjoy it. Technically speaking, the movie isn't half bad.

Official Stills for Guillermo del Toro's Latest Film "The Shape of Water"

Fox Searchlights recently released stills for Guillermo del Toro's latest film "The Shape of Water". The film stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins and Michael Stuhlbarg.

"The Shape of Water" hits theaters on December 8th.

Plot Synopsis: 

From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER - an other-worldly fable, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Official Posters for the Upcoming Drama "Freeheld"

Lionsgate recently send us over two posters for their upcoming release of the LGBT drama "Freeheld". The film stars Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Steve Carell and Josh Charles.

"Freeheld" hits theaters in limited release on October 2nd and expanding October 9th.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/FreeheldMovie

Plot Synopsis:

Based on the Oscar®-winning short documentary and adapted by the writer of Philadelphia, Freeheld is the true love story of Laurel Hester [Julianne Moore] and Stacie Andree [Ellen Page] and their fight for justice. A decorated New Jersey police detective, Laurel is diagnosed with cancer and wants to leave her hard earned pension to her domestic partner, Stacie. However the county officials, Freeholders, conspire to prevent Laurel from doing this. Hard-nosed detective Dane Wells [Michael Shannon], and activist Steven Goldstein [Steve Carell], unite in Laurel and Stacie’s defense, rallying police officers and ordinary citizens to support their struggle for equality.