The year is 1949 and Los Angeles is under the thumb of Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), a former boxer who climbed the mobster ladder to become the ultimate crime ruler of the western United States. He kills at will, takes any dame he likes, and has paid off the majority of the LAPD to follow his every word. Enter Sergeant John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), a cop and WWII vet who, after a meeting with Chief Parker... 

I’m not a huge fan of courtroom dramas. To me the whole genre is as overcliched battle between good and evil, painting a glamorous picture of a reality that is nowhere near as black and white. Then again, I suppose the same could be true of teacher dramas, military dramas, and the like. Film paints in broad strokes when reality is much more subtle. The Lincoln Lawyer manages to bring a little subtlety... 

One of the biggest criticisms of Battle: Los Angeles is how cliché and derivative the story is. Even as someone who mildly liked the movie, it’s hard to ignore how much of the movie we’ve seen before in different forms. Reading through the reviews, the natural comparison for most people to make is Independence Day, but I propose many of these elements are more solidly connected to other movies... 

Battle: Los Angeles is one of the most contested movies to hit theaters this year. With a 31% at Rotten Tomatoes it’s gotten more bad reviews than good reviews, but there are still some people who really love it. A few sample quotes: Here’s a science-fiction film that’s an insult to the words “science” and “fiction,” and the hyphen in between them. You want... 

Holy Shit! Move over ID4; the alien invasion movie bar has just skyrocketed higher. Battle: Los Angeles is a non-stop adrenaline ride of greatness. That is right: non-stop, so make sure you empty your bladders before this ride begins, because there is no time for pee breaks. Battle: Los Angeles starts off with a quick scene of the invasion too whet our appetites, and then flashes back 24 hours...