Review of film: “BATTLE: L.A.” + TALK with star CORY HARDRICT

2010, 03-10:

Review of film:  “BATTLE:  L.A.”  + TALK with star CORY HARDRICT

     Not ALL Visitors are WELCOME in Southern California!…

Friend Tim W. likes to look at Trailers for movies.  He commented about this one that, he was a bit “concerned” because there was almost no dialogue in them.  Well, you can “rest-easy”, Folks--  there’s LOTS of conversation in the actual film (tho most of it is uttered under “stressful” situations)!...

…  As the movie begins, the TV news is announcing problems of a sudden wave of METEORITES that have been bombarding coastal areas in cities around the world…  Since there’s a lot of action going on at a military base, it appears there is “MORE” going on than has been “revealed”…  Yes, a “sure sign” of a SCI-FI story lurking in the projector!...

…  A quick flashback arrives, with Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (AARON ECKHART) presenting papers for his imminent retirement after 20 years in the Marine Corps…   His boss (an old friend) can see the weariness in him, likely from some recent military problems that Aaron was involved in… 

…  Because of the “astronomical” problems occurring, Aaron is quickly mobilized to help out at a Marine Corps airbase...  It quickly becomes apparent from the DESTRUCTION being caused by the “meteorites” that they are NOT what they appear to be, & that “some” force is DIRECTING them at the Earth…

…  In short order, we meet the GROUP that Aaron is supposed to help out:  Recently-arrived 2^nd Lt. William Martinez (RAMON RODRIGUEZ) is his direct commander, but he’s never really faced combat  before…  Cpl. Kevin Harris (NE-YO) is about to get married, & his friend Cpl. Nick Stavrou (GINO ANTHONY PESI) is helping him with the general preparations… 

…  Cpl. Jason Lockett (CORY HARDRICT) is a young member of the group whose brother recently had “problems” under Aaron’s command…  Corpsman Jibril Adukwu (ADETOKUMBOH M’CORMACK) wants to be a doctor…  Pfc. Shaun Lenihan (NOEL FISHER) wants to no longer be called the “virgin” by the guys…

…  With sort of “typical” demographic “coincidence” for a military group, there’s LCpl. Steven Mottola (JAMES HIROYUKI LIAO);  tough LCpl. Richard Guerrero (NEIL BROWN JR.);  southern LCpl. Corey Simmons (TAYLOR HANDLEY);  and various others…

…  The TV news is soon seen reporting that what had seemed to be “meteorites” are now clearly causing “premeditated” ATTACKS on the coastal areas, including fighting the MILITARY forces sent to try to “intercept” them (tho no one fully knows just what is “going-on” around the world)…

…  Aaron’s group is sent to try to “rescue” some people reported to be taking shelter in a Los Angeles POLICE STATION…  Little by little, we learn that there are ALIENS behind the attacks, & we see more & more militaristic “ATTACK” vessels bristling with weapons being sent against the Earthlings…

…  Naturally, Aaron’s military group gets more & more INVOLVED in the combat.  Sort of unusual for a number of such films, the group tries to learn a lot of vital DETAILS about who / what they’re fighting…  They’re helped at one point by TSgt. Elena Santos (old reliable MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ, who’s almost been “typecast” as a super-competent female military person in movies)…

…  I liked how the combat group tries to learn the “MAKEUP” of the aliens they’re fighting, to better know how to DISABLE them, & to carefully find out details of the hightly-technical increasingly-powerful “MACHINERY” attacking them (to more effectively “stop” them)…

…  As time goes on, you’ll meet some civilians they try to save (including Joe Rincon, played by MICHAEL PENA)…  To no great surprise, the aliens become more & more SUCCESSFUL in their assaults, & Aaron’s group has to work harder & harder to try to get to SAFETY (or its temporary “equivalent”)…

…  Will Aaron’s group find the weaknesses in the aliens?...  Will all the civilians be SAVED?...  Who in Aaron’s group (if any) will SURVIVE the onslaught?...  Will there be a viable future for Earthlings?...

…  Now, it’d be real easy to “put down” a movie like this.  There are various plot “holes” in it:  Why would “experts” not quickly see that it makes no “sense” that just COASTAL areas would be hit by “meteorites”?...

…  Why do they at one point claim there are alien-caused problems in PARIS (which is nowhere near the coast)?...  Why would they “assume” that the aliens have no AIR “power” (when they’re sending their suddenly-arrived offensive “meteorites” THRU the air?... 

…  Why would a lot of the alien machines use “machine-gun” like armaments, rather than something much more “ADVANCED”?...  Why would just sea-type water seemingly give  “power” to the aliens?...  And so on…

…  But, this is a SCI-FI movie, Folks!  You need to EXPECT such plot weaknesses, & instead concentrate on whether or not the movie “WORKS”--  and, in my opinion, it works WELL, given its situational “setups”…

…  Aaron does a good job as a military man who’s trying to be “respectful” of his superiors & HELP his company even tho he’s had some very difficult times recently…  The other military people work hard to try to do their job “PROPERLY”, as best they can…  Everyone works diligently to try to find “SOLUTIONS” to difficult problems that keep arising…

…  The action scenes were EXCELLENT, with carefully concoted increasing “details” about the enemy they were facing, & what would be needed to try to DEFEAT them… 

…  To me, a number of the alien “creatures” & machinery reminded me of certain ones in “SKYLINE”--  which turned out to be ”apropos”, because I saw in the credits that some were done by the same people behind that, HYDRAULX (plus like 9 other special effects / cgi groups)…

…  Given the sci-fi and “buddy” bases of the film, the characters (including the aliens) are BELIEVABLE, & you learn to “CARE” about a number of “Earthling” ones…  The “attacking” & “CHASE” scenes are very effective & enjoyable—“ requiring”  a cornucopia of POPCORN (or other snacks) to properly “fortify” yourself thru the experience…

…  Accordingly, for those who like SCI- FI films, I’m rating this at 8.0 out of 10 stars;  other people might rate it at a fair piece “under” that…

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TALK with star CORY HARDRICT

BEFORE the advance screening of the film, the audience waited for the arrival of some “SPECIAL” guests + some “Press” people…

...  After about a half hour, we were greeted by a Public Relations agent representing the COLUMBIA PICTURES film we were about to see…

…  She told us how we had one of the stars from the film with us, CORY HARDRICT, a local young actor from the Chicago Heights area, who would appear as Jason Lockett in the film.  He’s previously appeared in “NEVER BEEN KISSED” (1999), Clint Eastwood’s “GRAN TORINO” (2008), & “HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU” (2009)…

…  CORY spoke briefly, commenting on what a THRILL it was for him to be here with us at the movie, & especially in front of FRIENDS & FAMILY who were also attending.  He said, one person (who found a movie cap under their seat) would get a poster autographed by the CAST, & he himself would sign posters for the rest of us after the film…

                                  

…  When the film ended, Cory happily spoke to the audience and various of the afore-mentioned friends & family in the center aisle…

…  Downstairs, as he promised, he happily signed POSTERS for us (with personalized greetings)…  When I asked, he said, the film took like 6 months to film [around Baton Rouge, LA & other areas].  He commented that, altho the movie is like 2 hours long, the “rough” cut was like 2.5 hours, & he expects that a lot of that additional footage would be seen in the DVD version…

…  A friend of mine, Bonnie, reported that she’d spoken to Cory’s FATHER briefly.  He was clearly proud of him, said he’s their 2^nd eldest son, &, to Bonnie’s wondering how Cory was able to “manage” all the intense physical action in the movie, his dad said, “He HANDLED it!”…

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