Movie Review: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)

 The gang is back with another adventure, but this time they also have to disprove that their ancestor was involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  So Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) involves his ex (Diane Kruger), his parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren) and his partner (Justin Bartha).  Their rival (Ed Harris) is using the groups knowledge to get what he wants.  The clues lead them to Europe, France and London, and then back to the White House.  It even leads to their kidnapping the president to get to the book; the book of government secrets passed down from president to president.  There are two people going for this treasure, the big lost city of gold.  They get there at the same time.  They eventually find it under Mount Rushmore.  

Fun ride.  

Movie Review: The Host (2013)

This is the movie based on the Stephenie Meyer novel of the same name.  This movie combines a couple characteristics of Robert Heinlein books I have read, aliens inhabiting a human body, and two personalities being inside the same person.  It is hard to make something entertaining with two people inside the same body, but it is done effectively here.  This is a movie about sacrifice, and sometimes finding your true home where you don't expect to find it. 
Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) has been running free with her brother, Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and boyfriend Jared (Max Irons).  However, the invading hosts are determined to capture everyone, and they come up to her.  However, the human host is strong and remains inside, while the alien soul, Wanda, is divulging all of Melanie's secret, with the goal of finding the other humans.  This leads to a conflict, which is finally a bit resolved when they take off and find the human refuge, headed by Melanie's uncle (J.D. Evermore).  Being hosted, your eyes shine differently, so everyone knows she is not human.  Their are conflicts and suspicions with the group; and even romance, Melanie and Jared, but also Wanda and Kyle (Boyd Holbrook).  Also in the cast is a seeker, Lacey (Diane Kruger) who will not give up, who herself is torn by her host's personality.  She finally finds their hide out, which  creates a dilemma with an interesting solutions.
Like some of Meyer's books, this movie is a bit slow at times as the story deals with the romantic parts, but over all very well done.

Movie Review: **** National Treasure (2004)

National Treasure           

This is a very exciting ride, and it includes enough intellectual history trivia to peak my interest.  This movie features Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) and Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) trying to find a great national treasure which was hid by the Masons about the time of the Revolutionary War.  The Gates family has been searching for the treasure for several generations, all with the clue that it has something to do with the Columbia.  And so we see Gage and Poole in the Arctic, where they find an old ship, in which they find what looks like a pipe.  They are double crossed by the financier, Ian Howe (Sean Bean) for their venture and left for dead in the Arctic.  However they make it back  The clues they found in the ship leads them to look at the Declaration of Independence, so they can expose a secret map on the back of the document.  Both groups, Howe and his henchmen, and Gage (Gage to keep it from Howe) decide to steal the document to continue hunting for the treasure.  In doing this, they meet Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) who works for the National Archives.  The stealing of the document is very exciting, and bits both groups against each other.  The FBI is now on their trail, so they turn to their Gage’s father (Jon Voight) for help.  He does not believe in the quest, but he has some old letters they need to.  They find writing on the back, a series of codes, but need more information, so they are off to Philadelphia where they are still pursued by Howe.  They find some glasses to help with the deciphering of the script on the back of the Declaration of Independence, while Howe gets the actual document from them.  Gage is arrested by the FBI, but to get the Declaration he is allowed to meet Howe.

This journey is one good ride.  I especially like the action and they little bits of knowledge which are thrown in as part of the clues they find.  Very fun