We’ve all seen films about someone trapped in a phone booth, on a train, in a panic room, or on a plane. I usually dread seeing this type of movie where characters are “stuck” in one location for the duration of the film. They tend to feel claustrophobic and one-dimensional. Man on a Ledge, however, transcends the “in a/on a” genre’s usual shortcomings and tells a story that extends well beyond the protagonist’s self-imposed spacial boundaries.

The Truth Train team caught an advance screening of Man On A Ledge earlier this week, which is director Asger Leth’s Hollywood debut. It is a film that won’t surprise or disappoint.

The story revolves around disgraced cop Nick Cassidy’s efforts to prove his innocence while hundreds of feet above an informal, rubbernecking jury of his peers. We don’t want to give too many plot details away, so you’ll have to trust us when we say that the film is much more interesting than the title suggests. Think “The Negotiator” meets “The Town”.

While Man On A Ledge is a good film with a straight forward premise, many twists are glaring from the start. That said, the screenwriters do save a few unexpected items for the end. In hindsight, many of the plot elements are ridiculously unbelievable, but we didn’t find ourselves distracted by a struggle to suspend disbelief during the actual viewing.

If you’re the type of person who likes to maximize their cinematic dollar by only going out to see films that make the most of a huge screen and an earth shaking sound system, you’ll probably want to rent this one. If not, it’s worth taking a date to see it when it’s released at the end of the month on January 27th.

Side note: While writing this review, we realized that a disproportionately large number of thrillers and dramas are focused on cops or ex-cops. Why does this seem to be the case? (No pun intended) Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!

STAY ON THE PLATFORM

Here at Truthtrain.com we love our beer.  As an alternative to Champagne this New Years Eve, we decided to try Infinium, a collaboration between Boston Brewing Co. and Weihenstephan Brewery in Germany. Infinium is made with only the four traditional ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast.  Dispite it’s simple ingredients, Infinium achieves  a crisp champagne-like beer with fine bubbles and a fruity, spicy aroma. Additionally, the alcohol content is approx. 10.3%, so it is similar to the champagne that you were thinking of buying.

Ringing in at around $20, this brew might be a great substitute for your next formal occasion!

ALL ABOARD!!

No, it’s not a movie chronicling the struggles of an etiquette teacher in the afterlife, it’s the 4th installment of the action-packed Mission: Impossible series…

The Truth Train team viewed a full length sneak preview of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol last night in IMAX. If we were paying, this isn’t the type of movie we’d normally consider laying down the extra cash to see in an IMAX theater, but we found that the grand scenes and special effects in the movie were really boosted by the immersive IMAX experience. Overall, the movie surpassed our expectations. We managed to make it through with more genuine LOLs than eye rolls, which was unexpected for such a big budget action movie. The international locations were interesting and well integrated into the plot. Simon Pegg’s performance was another highlight of the movie.

Overall, the film felt like a summer blockbuster that didn’t arrive until the middle of winter, but in a fashionably late way.

Your mission this holiday season, should you choose to accept it, is to subdue your relatives with egg nog, sneak past them in tight black clothing, and rappel to your nearest theater to check out this movie.

All Aboard!

Please excuse the poor audio quality of the following video. Apparently, malls are louder than we thought:

Eco-Spoiler Alert!
Regarding plot plausibility, only one nagging question remains. With today’s technology, how can a high-speed dash in an electric car not come to an anti-climactic end because of dead batteries?

The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet… a real abomination in our opinion!

Ford, please bring the 2-door Fiesta to the US! We liked this 4-door version, but we must admit that the $21,000 sticker was surprising.

This Acura ZDX was our favorite crossover at the show.

The carbon fiber roof and massive brakes on this ZR1 were stunning in person.

This Murcialago was cool, but where’s the Aventador?

Our favorite car from the show, the 94 horsepower Scion iQ.

Stay on the Platform

The Truth Train Team is getting a new brother in law! Check out his awesome proposal.

Hugo is an orphan boy, who lives in the walls of a train station in Paris in the 1940s. His life has been difficult after his father’s death and like many of us, he is trying to find meaning and his purpose. This film is well paced, but might be too slow for younger viewers. In the end, it shows us that much like clocks, we all have our place in this world and, however small, are integral to its functioning correctly.

Don’t be worried about the over use of 3D. Though I’m tired of the format, Scorsese uses it masterfully.

Do you even have to ask?
All Aboard!

Caveat: As our tester notes in the video below, many Gladiators still have the original bicycle brake components from 1990 (Hammer time), so be sure to give them a once over before cruising downhill.

All aboard!